Fate Has A Twisted Sense of Humor
by HorsesandVampires
Summary: I had nothing left, nothing except the fear of what they will do to me when they find me. But misery loves its company and I just may have found it in him. SethXOC / 4-5 years after BD.
1. Chapter 1

**Long story short: I had a dream. A dream that stayed stuck in my head for so long that I had to write a FF about it. Maybe now my alter-egos will stop playing racket ball with it inside my head. Enjoy!—hopefully. I apologize for the formatting though...I am getting a hang of FF and it will take a bit.**

**--Oh and as a side warning: I do tend to cuss every now and then. It will continue throughout the story.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

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_Fate is an elegant, cold-hearted whore  
She loves salting my wounds  
Yes, she enjoys nothing more  
I bleed confidence from deep within my guts now  
I'm the king of this pity party with my jewel encrusted crown._

_--Polygraph, Right Now!—_The Spill Canvas

_**Alex POV**_

I awoke to a coolness trickling down my cheek. My once vacant mind came anew again at the sensation. I opened my eyes to a blur of green and let a sigh escape as the rain continued to fall. This was not supposed to happen.

I was supposed to be home in bed without a care in the world except the fickle worries of the average seventeen year old. But apparently fate had other plans. Plans that involved ripping my feet right out from under me. Oh and did I mention the little part about destroying everything and _everyone_ I knew and cared for?

So here I was, lost in the middle of god knows where. Survival instincts were the only things that kept me going, kept me knowing that somewhere those _things_ were still looking for me. Waiting, searching to finish the job.

I know what you are thinking. How the hell did a girl end up in the middle of the woods with nothing but the clothes on her back? And what are these things that are chasing her? What happened? Who died? And the mother of all questions: Why?

As for the latter, I have no clue. Like I said fate must have been bored with its day job and just decided to drop a whirlwind of hell on me. As for the woods thing, I ran here. I just kept running, and in all honesty I have no idea how I am not dead.

Normally when evil vampires knock at your door, there is nothing a normal human girl can do to stop them. I mean come on. Super speed and strength anyone? So to answer the things question: Vampires. As for the rest of the inquiries: Your guess is as good as mine.

All I know for sure is I can't stop. I know they are still chasing me. I can feel it on the back of my neck. And this impromptu nap was about the last thing on the keep-myself-alive list. I must have passed out. A breathless chuckle escaped my lips. Most of the time me passing out involves getting hit over the head with something, not running myself to exhaustion. Apparently this time was one hundred percent self-inflicted. _Joy_.

The throbbing of my legs broke me from my musings. I did not need to crane my head to know that there was no way I could persuade my muscles to go any farther. My only luck in this escapade was the rain, but it was a small ounce of luck. The rain would mask my scent for a couple of hours, but once it stopped, I was screwed.

You know how a wet dog smells worse than a dry dog? Yah, you guessed it, once that rain stops I'm the wet dog. And the last thing I need is to be soaking wet and shivering all the while sporting a bright neon sign saying, "OVER HERE!" to the manic vampire stalkers.

That was the one twist of fate that I could not wrap my mind around. When it came down to the ancient werewolf versus vampire debate amongst the sci-fi freaks, I was always on the vampire side. Always. Not that I had anything against werewolves, just their tendency to walk around naked.

You have to draw the line somewhere, and watching guys randomly walk around in their birthday suits was not my thing. So sorry wolf-boys, but you lose.

So the fact that I am being hunted by vampires… of all the supernatural species fate could have sicked on me? Yah, it kind of bugs me, the irony of it all. Not to mention the fact that my best friend was one of them. Cue more irony.

So here I was in the middle of the woods, already soaked to the bone with no idea what to do next.

I had three options. Lay here and wait for the vampires, try to find some place to get my sorry ass out of the rain, or my personal favorite, die of hypothermia. Unfortunately, since two of my three options involved dying and the stubborn part of my conscience was having no part in that.

I forced my eyes open again and focused on the trees surrounding me. There had to be something I could use as shelter. Leaves, branches, logs… a cave would be nice, but I highly doubted I would be that lucky. And considering that my legs were in no mood to walk, I was pretty sure a cave was out of the question.

_Not to mention bears_. I laughed at my mental worry. Bears? _Right._ Don't get me wrong, I know I'm in bear country, but being chased by vampires probably takes priority to bears. _Vampire or bear…hmmm I'll take the bear_. I sighed mentally at that. You know you are screwed when bears are considered harmless to what else is out there.

My gaze finally fell on clearly the largest tree within my little circle of vision. The fact that I missed it the first three passes was a tribute to my mental state of awareness. The thing was huge.

As my eyes searched the tree's structure, I noticed an opening at the base were the roots met the trunk. It was triangular in form and just big enough for me to squeeze through. I could tell by the darkness of the shape that it opened to a considerable amount of space. _Well I'll be damned_, it seemed a rift was stretching through fate's little plan.

However, the rift was apparently a small one as my legs were still refusing to work. Thus, I had to literally drag myself through the underbrush to the base of the tree. Taking hold of the top of the triangle, I pushed myself back-first into the opening.

I had never hated rain, but it felt incredible to be dry…well at least as dry as I was going to get for the time being. I curled myself up into a ball and covered myself with the leaves and moss around me. I highly doubted they would do anything against the cold, but at this point with my jeans and t-shirt soaked through and my socks squishing between my shoes, I was willing to try anything.

I let out a breath of air as the darkness began to loom over the trees. I had lost track of time, it would be night soon. Deciding not to tempt fate any longer (at least for the rest of the day), I stayed in my ball and tried to sleep. All the while praying that nothing would find me in the night.

* * *

_It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark.  
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart.  
You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it.  
You start to freeze, as horror looks you right between the eyes.  
You're paralyzed._

_--Thriller_—Michael Jackson

I awoke to a shuffling noise. I groggily opened my eyes to the pitch black night. I had always been a light sleeper, prided myself in the fact actually, but tonight I would have given anything to stop the stupid red flags that were going off inside my head. That is until I remembered where I was.

I forced my eyes completely open, focusing intently on what lay outside the tree. For what seemed like eternity I stared until I realized there was nothing there. I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing, trying to convince myself that if there where vampires out there, they would have killed me already.

My eyes flashed open again. How the hell was that thought supposed to make me feel better? Here I was waiting to become a late-night snack. _Perfect._ A flicker of movement in my peripheral stopped the mental berating short.

My head shot to the side as I squinted into the darkness once again. There. A shape to my left, from here it just seemed like a blob, its light coloring the only reason I could even glimpse it. My eyes stayed on the shape as it moved closer. _Shit_.

I scrambled back into the tree until my back met the bark. I could still see it. If I had to guess, my bet would be a wild animal of some sort. The way it moved made it a definite candidate for four legs. Maybe a wolf or a mountain lion; neither seemed to be in my best interest.

_There is no way_. I chastised myself. _It was HUGE!_ There was no possible way that was a wolf or a mountain lion, which unfortunately left one other option: Bear.

This revelation started another mental tangent on how I just _had_ to bring up the fact that bears were nothing compared to vampires. _News Flash Idiot: Even though there are no vampires (at the moment), you still have to deal with the bear!_ My mental self was clearly blowing a casket.

_Grreeeaaatttt_… I escape evil vampires only to be eaten by a bear. _Perfect_. _Fan-Flippin'-Tastic_. I glared upwards and hoped fate would get the message.

_Not that it would do any good. _Fate was probably having a good time laughing its ass off with irony of the moment. I almost sighed, but abruptly stopped mental tangent had once again distracted me, yet the bear was moving closer still, almost at the foot of the tree. It was ambling along with its nose to the ground. That must have been the noise I heard. Well, I guess I shouldn't have cursed the red flags.

I stayed very still the entire time, not even attempting to breathe. It came to the opening of the triangle and stopped. From my cowered position I could only see part of a foreleg and torso. My eyes traveled from the knee down to the paw. And that was when I noticed it. The paws were more dog-like than anything, and they were definitely not those of a bear.

_What. The. Fuck? _

My eyes continued to roam from the massive paws to the foreleg up to the chest. I noticed for the first time the long, sandy fur that covered it. For some reason I exhaled with that observation. My body relaxed, if only for an instant. It wasn't a bear.

_Well OK then genius, what is it?_

That was where my breathing picked up again.

The giant animal seemed to notice this and stuck its head into the hole, or at least tried to. My heart leapt out of my chest and I covered my mouth to stifle the scream. Its massive head could only reach about half-way through the hole and I finally got a decent look at what had been lurking around.

It was a wolf. A _huge _wolf, but a wolf nonetheless. That much I could definitely tell as I took in the stout muzzle and the ragged fur around the face and neck. A low keening sound came from the wolf. I lifted my gaze to its eyes, and for some reason could not look away.

They were a light brown, almost hazel, with gold flecks protruding from the deeper brown. It was a color that was captivating in its own right, but the downright _knowing_ of the stare was what kept me looking. It was like it knew everything. Every single little detail about my hopes, dreams, despairs, and fears. The depth of them scared me, yet pulled me in, and that was when it clicked. The eyes… they looked almost _human_.

_No_, I thought to myself as I continued to stare. _They are human_.

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_***Cue Dramatic Music* **_

**Ok so I actually combined two chapters to make for a longer experience for you guys…so what do you think? **

**Reviews appreciated—don't worry I won't pull a Michael Westen on you if you choose not to voice your opinion. Little warning: the chapters ahead are not as long (for the time being)—they are a little bit less intimidating—don't tell them that it will hurt their feelings.**

**Luv and Fuzzy Bunnies--HV **


	2. Chapter 2

**This one is kind of short guys, but I prefer it that way…I apologize in advance.**

**In honor of my good friend **_**hecate's apprentice**_**, Breaking Benjamin was used for the soundtrack—this one's for you crazy-BB Loving- friend o' mine!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

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_I will not bow, I will not break  
I will shut the world away  
I will not fall, I will not fade  
I will take your breath away_

_And I'll survive, paranoid  
I have lost the will to change  
And I am not proud, cold blooded, fake  
I will shut the world away_

_--I Will Not Bow—Breaking Benjamin_

**_Alex POV_**

_NO. FUCKING. WAY_. I snapped my gaze from the wolf in an instant and glared up again.

No, this could not be happening. Hell, this wasn't fair. Werewolves? Are you serious? My home gets destroyed. I am being chased by evil vampires. And now you throw werewolves into the mix? _You have got to be kidding me_.

That was it; the last straw. For the first time in the past three days I had been running, I did not care. I did not care if this wolf was good or evil, or even if it wanted to eat me. I was _pissed_, and quite honestly fed up with the supernatural.

I huffed and pushed myself away from the tree. "_Move_." I ordered the wolf. I knew it could understand me.

I glared at it when it didn't budge. It just stood there looking at me like I had lost my mind. At this point it may have been right.

Not even thinking of the consequences, I grabbed its muzzle with my fist and jerked its head down to the floor. "Look," I started glaring down at the wolf, "I am having a really horrible week and am just about done with all the bullshit that has happened to me. So if you could please move, I would greatly appreciate it." The sickeningly sweet tone my voice had taken on seemed to break the wolf of its reverie as it shook its head from my grasp and backed up.

I crawled out of the opening and noticed the dark grey tone the forest had taken on. Apparently it was closer to sunrise than I originally thought. The wolf was off to the side and still staring at me. I stood and brushed myself off, nodded to the wolf, and then started walking.

Of course the wolf stopped me two steps in. I could really see it now in the growing light. A soft, sandy brown coat covered its form, which by my earlier observation really was huge. The thing had to be as big as a horse. Its head came to my shoulder as it gazed at me, its body blocking the path.

I sighed. "Look Fluffy, I really don't have time for any werewolf drama," the wolf cocked its head to the side, "so if you don't mind I'll be on my way now." I went to go around it and was blocked again. Did I mention my hatred of werewolves at this point?

I growled and stalked off in the opposite direction. And you guessed it, was once again blocked by the big ball of fur.

Having enough, I shoved it, or at least tried to. Ever tried to move a stubborn werewolf with human strength? Yah, it doesn't work.

It growled low in its throat and I finally stopped and took a step back. It seems my red flags were starting to work again.

"Alright," I hedged, "you have my attention."

The wolf huffed and sat on its haunches. It just sat there, staring at me.

I had to admit the staring was starting to freak me out. But against my better judgment, I followed suit and sat down.

It whined again. I sighed.

"Look I know you're a werewolf, so can we cut the dog crap?"

The wolf didn't move.

I glared at it.

After what seemed like hours, the wolf finally got up and jogged away.

_Finally_. I let out a breath and let myself fall backwards onto the ground. It felt good to be rid of the stubborn-ass. I closed my eyes trying to convince myself that it all wasn't real and that I was in my bed fast asleep. Not in the middle of nowhere with vampires and werewolves.

As I was drifting, the hair on my neck rose and I had a feeling I was being watched. Warily, I opened my eyes to the hazy morning light. My eyes fell on the figure looming over me. I couldn't stop the scream this time.

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**Don't kill me! Hehe… I love cliffhangers.**

**Reviews make my lonely weeks go faster **

**Say it with me: Give me an R! Give me an E! Give me a VIEW!**

**Hugs and Fuzzy Bunnies--HV**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright--so I pretty much just got done with the week from HELL (Ochem exams and labs=not fun). I was trying to update earlier this week, but as you guys can see that obviously failed...However, luck is on my side today as I am snowed in and can't go anywhere = you guys get a brand new chapter! ****Delays are always due to school, but I will try to beat the system and update weekly :)**

_**HV: Alright, is everyone ready for some stubbornness and mental breakdowns?**_

_**Seth: Uhhh…not really.**_

_**HV: Good.**_

_**Seth: Crap.**_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

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_I can't remember when the earth turned slowly,  
So I just waited with the lights turned out again.  
I lost my place but I can't stop this story.  
I've found my way, but until then  
I'm only spinning._

_--Spinning_—Jack's Mannequin

_**Alex POV**_

Thank god my reflexes still worked. Mid-scream, my body twisted as my leg swung in a low sweep kick, missing the creeper by inches. I took advantage of the new distance and brought myself to my full height. A broken branch was grasped in my hand; unfortunately, the only weapon I had.

My eyes darted back and forth, looking for the adversary all the while knowing a stick wasn't going to do shit against a vampire.

"You really should calm down," a voice from behind, close enough that I could feel the breath on my ear.

I didn't even think. I swung the branch with all my might, spinning around to face my stalker. He caught it mid-swing. My eyes found him then. And he was completely and utterly not what I was expecting.

Before me stood a guy around my age, body chiseled to the tee, his hand gripping the end of the branch. To say he was tall, dark, and handsome would be a complete understatement. He was lean and tall, standing clearly over six feet. His muscles were toned, but not in the overly-body-builder way. His short black hair gave the perfect contrast to his tan skin. Oh, and did I mention the fact that he was in nothing but a pair of cropped Levi's?

I mentally slapped myself. Since when did I ogle over guys? I am NOT one of those girls. And I never would be if I had anything to say about it.

Twisting and shaking the branch with all my strength I tried to pull the branch from his grasp. Needless to say it wasn't working.

"Let go." I growled, not taking my eyes away from the branch.

"If I do, will you stop trying to hit me with it?" He asked. His voice was laced with amusement.

"Can't make any promises." I retorted taking my eyes off the branch and giving him a death-glare. Only then did I realize who I was dealing with.

My eyes flashed with recognition as I glared into the hazel depths of the stranger, or should I say werewolf-stalker-boy. It was the damn wolf from last night!

"You!" I shouted, dropping the branch and backtracking away. I stopped when I was a good five feet back.

"Excuse me?" He sounded confused, but I wasn't that gullible.

"Yes, you…mister crazy werewolf who decides stalking a girl and scaring the living crap out of her in the middle of the night would be far more amusing than going about his business." I glared at him again.

An unknown emotion crossed his eyes before he responded. "I don't know what you are talking about." He crossed his arms in a stance, playing dumb.

_That's it_. I stalked toward him then and before he had a chance to consider it I threw a punch to his gut with everything I had in me.

_Big mistake._

"OW!! Shit. Holy mother of…." A stream of profanities followed as a cradled my now surely broken hand to my midsection. The pain of it brought me to my knees.

In hindsight, punching a supernatural creature was probably not the smartest idea. Hell trying to _harm_ a supernatural creature at all with human strength alone was impossible. I really should have learned that by now.

"Are you ok?" I felt the werewolf next to me as I rested my forehead against the ground. That was funny he actually sounded concerned. I must be losing it. The profanities continued and I finally realized I couldn't take it anymore.

"I am sick of this. Sick!" I screamed at the ground and then lifted my head to the sky. "Every day there's a new creature showing up at my door, ruining my life. All of these stupid supernatural creatures and their impossible traits…God!" I was ranting but I didn't care.

"Why me? Can I ask you that?!!" I screamed at the sky, throwing my good arm up dramatically. "First vampires, and now a werewolf? I am human for Christ's sake!!! And the fact that every single one of them is completely indestructible is not helping me here!" I continued screaming at the sky until I was out of breath. My head fell back against the ground again. I'm sure wolf-boy knew I was crazy by this point.

"I take that as a No." I heard a grumble from beside me. _Why thank you Captain Obvious_. I raised my head and gave him a knowing look.

Wolf-boy didn't take the hint. "Let me see." He said it calmly as not to startle me. I scoffed to myself. Right, like he hadn't done that already.

"I'm fine." I attempted to say it firmly, cradling my hand closer to me as I tried to push myself off the ground.

I felt hands grab my midsection to haul me up and I couldn't stop the flinch that had been my body's reaction for the past month. Flashes of that night scattered across the edge of my vision.

"Don't touch me," I hissed and pushed away from him. He let me go this time, though I could see his eyes held a question.

Keeping my eyes on him, I backed up until I felt bark against my back. I slowly slid down until I once again rested on the ground. The werewolf was still looking at me with that strange expression. I sighed and did something I almost never do. I gave up.

"So," great conversation-starter I know. "What exactly are you doing out in the middle of nowhere?" I used my good arm to gesture to the trees around us.

He chuckled at this. "I could ask you the same question." His eyes met mine then and I was once again caught into that odd staring contest that him and I had come accustomed to. I broke away eventually.

"Oh you know," I started, "traveling, seeing the sights. I heard the trees out here were just lovely, so naturally I had to come see them." My voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Do you even know where here is?" He didn't miss a beat.

_Shit_. "Of course I know where we are," I lied easily.

"Uh huh," he responded not convinced. "So besides our lovely trees, what exactly are you doing out here? You have nothing but the clothes on your back and you look like hell." I felt his eyes searching me and I shivered involuntarily. "You expect me to believe this is a simple hiking trip?"

_Note to self: Apparently not all werewolves are stupid_.

"And don't even get me started on last night," he continued. That hit a mark.

"Last night? Oh, you mean when this huge-ass wolf appeared out of nowhere and decided to invade my personal space?" I met his gaze this time.

"Yes." He responded evenly, but his eyes softened. "I didn't mean to scare you." This time I actually believed him. He held my gaze as he continued. "I was out patrolling when I came across a scent," he eyed me pointedly, "naturally, I decided to follow it."

"So you admit it then," my eyes narrowed, "you are a werewolf."

"In a sense of the word… yes." He responded easily this time, but seeing my seething gaze sparked a sudden sense to continue. "I'm not allowed to reveal it." He hedged again, "though I seem not to have a choice anymore." He finished in a whisper, yet his eyes held a pointed It's-all-your-fault look.

_Right._ Here I was having a conversation with a werewolf who, no matter how hard I try, will not leave me alone, and _he's_ blaming _me_. He was the one roaming around as a giant dog. My anger twitched again.

I forced my legs to move as a hauled myself up and started walking. I didn't know where I was going, but anywhere was better than here. I could hear wolf-boy behind me.

"Hey!" He called. "Wait up!" I walked faster.

* * *

**Awww…look he's following her like a lost puppy. It's a good thing for Seth that I like him, or he would be in some serious trouble as I am having way too much fun with this. I love stubborn fights; they are the best kind in my opinion.**

**Reviews? Maybe? (I foresee some head nodding)…I will take that as a yes.**

**The fuzzy bunnies are coming! The fuzzy bunnies are coming! RUN!—HV **


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok people, here is the 4****th**** chapter--And just for the record, I know the song lyrics are double spaced, but Fanfiction was being pissy and for some reason unbeknownst to me, decided to make the single-spaced lines double-spaced. Why? I have no idea. Thank you to those of you who have reviewed—even if there are only like two of you…**

**Rough week—once again—so this chapter is a little shorter than the last, but it serves its purpose. Enjoy!**

_**Seth: *creepy cackle* Finally things start to go my way!**_

_**HV: *sweat-drop* **_

_**Seth: What?**_

_**HV: Who are you and what have you done with Seth?**_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_At times it seems there's nowhere left to turn, it's true._

_I'd like to think that we could help each other,_

_Rise above those things we're going through._

--_Pull Me Back_—The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

_**Alex POV**_

"Where exactly are you going?" _Here we go again_.

For the past however many hours, I had listened to wolf-boy ask question after question. At first he had been trying to be polite. He would ask a question, and wait for an answer, all the while staying within three feet of me. However, after he realized he wasn't getting anywhere, he started asking non-stop.

I was pretty sure it was a tactic to get to me, and it was working. I had to frequently force myself not to strangle him. Of course if I would simply open my mouth and answer him, he might stop, but I hadn't acknowledged him since I started walking and I wasn't going to start now.

In an _odd_ way it was comforting. One part of me was glad not to be alone. In fact, for some reason that part wanted the werewolf to stay close. That part felt safe with him, drawn to him. The other part of me however, the more rational part (in my personal opinion), told me to ditch him the next chance I got and kill him if I had to. A mind divided you could say.

"Alright that's it." I heard him mutter from behind. _Hah, I win_. No sooner had I thought it, he was right in front of me. I stopped dead. _Damn werewolves_.

He stood in front of me in a pose very similar to the one by which we first officially met. His arms were crossed, legs spread at a supportive angle. This time however, his eyes were hard. He wanted answers, and apparently he was tired of being nice.

"Yes?" I questioned innocently. Two can play this game.

A shadow of a smirk crossed his face, but it faded quickly. He took a step forward until his body was inches from mine. I looked away, but this time I didn't back away. I did however flinch when his finger tilted my chin upward so that I was looking at him. His touch was warm, almost unbearably so. Our eyes locked and I felt a shock travel down my spine.

"What's your name?" It came out in a whisper, but I heard it and was taken aback. Out of all the things I was expecting him to say, this totally slipped my mind. Our eyes danced as I tried to figure out what to say. _My name?_

Ok people, timeout, don't look at me like that. I know my name…I am just…confused. Should I tell him? The two sides of my conscience battled as I pondered the question.

_You can trust him._

_**No you can't. He's just another supernatural.**_

_You trusted Caleb._

_**Yes, and look where that got you.**_

_Oh, come on, the wolf's not that bad. What have you got to lose?_

_**Yah, that's what they all say: Look at the fluffy werewolf… awww, he's so cute! Then: OW! He bit me.**_

_Overdramatize much?_

_**I thought it was effective.**_

_Look, bottom-line: If he wanted to kill you, he would have done it already._

**Touché.**

Wow, I cannot believe I just did that.

"Alex," I said at last. Our gazes held and I saw something flicker beneath his eyes like for some reason my name was the most important detail in the world.

"I'm Seth," he exchanged as he dropped his hand from my chin. I gave a sigh of relief. Seth inched back and held out is hand in what I assumed was supposed to be a friendly gesture.

I stared at it for the longest time, and then tentatively shook it. And for the second time that day I was assaulted by the raw heat coming from his touch. The handshake lasted only a second before I pulled away. This time he let me.

"That wasn't so hard," Seth said with a smile on his face, "was it?" I had no idea what he was so happy about.

I gave him a look. "You have no idea."

* * *

**Yah…the debating with the bipolar parts of Alex's mind…happens to me all the time. But hey! At least we are getting somewhere with these two. Baby steps people!**

**Reviews?—Does anyone even like this story?—I take the silence as a No. *sigh***

**The fuzzy bunnies have gone mutant and are sporting X-Men uniforms 0_o. Anyone else find that disturbing? I blame that one on you TalaUSA —HV **


	5. Chapter 5

**Ummm…I really don't know what to say for this chapter. However, just for the record: My alter-egos had a lot of fun with this chapter…and unfortunately Seth got the worst of it. **

_**Seth: Hey! Why is it always me?!**_

_**HV: I got bored. What do you want me to say?**_

_**Seth: That you actually like me as a character.**_

_**HV: Well… I did choose YOU as the main fanfic- companion versus all those other choices.**_

_**Seth: *grumbles* Fine but I still don't appreciate the torture.**_

_**HV: No one ever said you had to. *cackles evilly***_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby,  
But you keep fronting.  
Saying what you going do to me,  
But I ain't seen nothing._

_--Buttons_—The Pussycat Dolls

_**Alex POV**_

The day passed quickly after Seth and I's impromptu attempt at a formal introduction. Much to my overwhelming gratitude, the onslaught of questions stopped. We walked in what was as close to companionable silence as we could experience in our present situation.

Seth let me lead, I had no idea why as he was the one who actually knew where he was. For some whacked-out reason it was like he _knew_ that I wanted, no, needed to lead. It was the last ounce of control I had, and I had no intention of parting with it any time soon. He stayed close though. Close enough that his shadow overlapped mine in what was left of the sun in the darkening sky.

"Alex," Seth's voice loomed into the dusk. "We should probably stop, it's getting dark."

The rational part of me knew he had a point, but that didn't stop the stubborn side from kicking in.

"You can stop," I countered, "but I think I'm going to continue. It's not like I have anything else to do." I shrugged nonchalantly, continuing my forward stride.

"You could come home with me." I stopped at that. I smirked, and decided a little torture was in order.

"Nice," a scoffed at the innuendo, "but I have no intention of going home with _you_." My tone suggested what he had obviously missed.

One look at his face told me I had been right to mess with him. The poor boy actually looked embarrassed, his cheeks taking on a rose color.

"I didn't mean it like that." He mumbled at the ground.

I had only known Seth for a day, but I had to admit, the boy was sweet. A little too innocent if you ask me, and clearly in need of some exposure to the world, but sweet nonetheless.

So naturally I had no choice but to embarrass him further.

"Oh, so you meant right here?" My tone was oblivious and I brought a finger to my chin for good measure. Seth looked up, his gaze confused.

"I'm sorry it totally slipped my mind. Of course you would consider this," I gestured to the forest around me, "your home—you being a big, bad werewolf and all." My sarcasm was not lost on Seth, his eyes finally found mine.

"Well ok then if you insist. Do you want me to get naked here or would you prefer me to strip behind the tree so you can get yourself ready." I made a pointed gesture towards his lower half.

Seth's mouth dropped, his face turning a shade of red that I did not know his skin tone could pull off.

"Though I have to admit it will be a little difficult," I pondered, not taking my eyes off Seth, "seeing as I only have use of one hand at the moment." He was slowly trying to pull his jaw off the ground. "Maybe you could help?" I questioned all too innocently as my hand came up to my camisole strap.

My motion seemed to snap something back into place for the boy. In an instant Seth was before me, jaw clenched, a low growl forming in his throat. All signs of embarrassment gone.

My body involuntarily took a step backwards as my mind seemed to realize that now was a good time to gain some common sense. _One step too far there Alex_.

"Don't tempt me." His voice was low and threatening, borderline possessive, and I gasped at the expression that accompanied it. Our eyes met and I saw something flash in his.

_Damn_, I thought. _He almost looked…_

_You've known him a day! Snap out of it! There is no way he looked at you like that_. I searched again, but the spark was gone. We stared for what seemed like ages in the dimming sunlight.

Finally, Seth relaxed and his eyes returned to their familiar calm, carefree expression. The innocent boy was back.

I breathed a sigh of relief, making a mental note to never mess with him again—at least in that category.

"Come on," he called cheerily and headed off in the opposite direction.

_Bipolar little freak._

I didn't follow.

"No." I answered over my shoulder as I kept walking in our original direction.

I heard an exasperated growl from behind.

"Alex," he sighed. "Please, the house isn't that far if I run. We could be there within the hour." He was in front of me now, once again blocking my path.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I countered. "I've known you for a day Seth, and trusting supernatural creatures is not on my agenda for the near future." I shoved past him.

_**Now who's being bipolar? **_My inner thoughts were relentless today.

_Shut it. _I chided myself.

_**What? You trusted him enough to play-strip in front of him.**_

_Not the time…_

I took a moment to ponder the fact that I was having an argument with myself. _Again_. I growled and lengthened my stride.

"Fine." Seth called at my retreating figure, and I could not stop myself from turning toward him.

"Fine," he repeated, "but at least make camp for the night. It's not safe to go wondering around in the dark."

In my mind I knew he was right. Knowing my luck I would fall and kill myself trudging around the forest in the dark. _Not to mention the vampires_. I met his gaze and sighed. _Might as well_…

It was almost completely dark now and I could barely make out the fallen log lodged between two trees. It was horizontal to the ground and made for a decent place to rest my back against. Unfortunately I could find nothing to resemble my tree from the night before, so I settled for hoping against hope that it didn't rain tonight.

I made my way over to the log and lay down in the underbrush, my back to the log. Seth sat down to my right. His stiff posture made it clear he wasn't sleeping tonight.

"You can sleep you know," I whispered feebly as I curled into myself, careful of my still throbbing hand. I already felt exhaustion slipping in.

I could hear him chuckle beside me. Apparently he found my exhaustion amusing.

_Jerk_.

"Go to sleep Alex." And for some reason, those were the only words I needed.

* * *

**Hmmm…what do you guys think? I don't know if I completely pulled off what I wanted, but I hope it turned out amusing. **

**Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming people—I love opinions.**

* * *

_**Crazies? What are Crazies?**_

_*poke* *poke*--The Crazies are the ones who ate the fuzzy bunnies._

_**OOOooHh O_O**_

**--HV**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yah you guessed it—another hellish couple of weeks. I apologize for the late update guys, but the end of the quarter is coming up and all the professors decided to ruin all our free time with homework and exams (not that I ever have free time). So anyway, here is Chapter 6…hopefully it will make you forgive me :)**

_Seth: What? No random tangent today?_

_HV: I am way too tired for that._

_Seth: Wuss._

_HV: Don't make me kill you off *glare*_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_Take me  
From this world  
Save me  
What if we  
All die young?_

_--Worth Dying For_—Rise Against

_**Alex POV**_

_Wake up_. A soft pang on the edge of my conscience brought me to half-awareness.

_Wake up_. Again, this time I squeezed my eyes tight and tried to grasp at the falling bits of unconsciousness.

_WAKE UP!!_

My eyes shot open, bringing with them the grey, predawn light… and not to mention a throbbing headache. I cursed my internal alarm system. Even with the dim light, my eyes still rebelled and shut against it.

A shadow fell upon me, blocking against the light on my eyelids. I sighed.

"You know Seth; this lingering over people thing is really starting to get---

I didn't get to finish as my body was jerked off the ground, my feet left flailing in the air. In the sudden movement, I forced my eyes open. My vision met red as I stared at the one creature that had haunted me for what seemed like eternity.

The vampire held me airborne at arm's-length, his eyes glinted with hunger. He had to be no later than twenty when he was changed, his black hair tied back at his neck. A slow smile crept onto his face as his eyes roamed my body.

Instinct kicked in. I swung and twisted in his grasp, but it did more harm than good as the ice-cold hand around my neck only tightened with each attempt. I suddenly found myself unable to breathe as the pressure increased to such a force that it surely had to be neck-breaking.

Just as the blackness started to encase my vision, I was jarred out of the vampire's iron-hold by an unknown impact. I caught a blur of sand out of the corner of my eye as I fell to the ground. My teeth slammed together when I hit, my body spiraling ten feet from the log. My vision swam as I attempted to pull myself up, yet only managed to prop myself up by the elbows. I raised my throbbing head and found what I was looking for instantly.

Seth stood two yards ahead of me, teeth bared, his wolf form rigid as he growled at the vampire opponent.

The vampire leered in a half-circle in front of Seth. His stance was crouched, ready to spring, as he followed the pattern. The smile never left his face.

I watched Seth's body move infinitesimally to match the vampire's position, blocking me from its view. The vampire hissed and, before I could even comprehend what had happened, was on Seth in an instant.

The two tumbled to the ground, rolling over and over in a heap of teeth and claws. The supernatural speed made it impossible to decipher who had the upper hand. Hell, I couldn't tell who was who at this point.

Then suddenly, it stopped.

With a flash of white, Seth was hurtled into a tree. The resounding yelp sent a shiver through my spine. My heartbeat sped as I watched the vampire stalk toward the prone wolf at the tree base.

_No_.

"_Seth_!" I don't know where it came from, but a surge of some unknown force made me open my mouth. The scream came out as a rasp that stung my entire throat; it was more damaged than I realized. But I _had_ to do _something_. "Leave him alone!" I directed every ounce of volume I had left at the vampire, hoping to distract it in some way.

The vampire did not seem to hear me as it reached the base of the tree. Its hand whipped towards Seth's neck.

"No!" The word battered against the walls of my mind and pierced the air just as the wolf's head shot up and latched onto the vampire's arm. A horrid metallic screeching sound echoed through my ears as the wolf's head thrust to the side, bringing what was left of the vampire's arm with it.

My eyes bulged and for some reason I could not bring myself to look away as the werewolf launched himself at the crippled vampire. One last move; that was all it took. In one fleeting movement the wolf had its opponent's neck in its jaws, and in an almost effortless fashion, ripped the head from the body with one powerful jerk.

I followed every movement. The arm-ripping, the wolf launching, and finally the vampire head spiraling to the forest floor. It rolled past me and I could see the red eyes still open, still gazing with that feral hunger. I flinched away from that gaze, dragging myself as far as I could away from it.

My back connected with an unknown force and I let out a strangled shriek. A familiar whine followed and I felt myself turning towards the source. A pair of hazel eyes met mine and I let out a breath I did not even know I was holding.

Seth held my gaze for an instant before taking a step forward and sniffing me from head to toe. I had to admit it was a little weird, but I knew what he was doing and I didn't interrupt. In fact I found myself doing the same thing. My eyes roamed the wolf before me for any sign of injury. I found nothing visible, yet that didn't quench my worry. Some injuries you couldn't see and I prayed that werewolf healing abilities were true.

I told myself that I was worried because he had just saved my life. It was natural to feel gratitude for that and even concern. But a stronger feeling brimming at the edge of the surface made it hard to convince otherwise. I knew that feeling, and I was scared of it.

A whine sounded again when his muzzle reached my throat. I did not even want to begin to picture what it must look like. The vampire's grip had been so tight. I was surprised I was still breathing. The wolf's nose nudged my lower ear and I felt the unmistakable texture of its tongue licking across my swollen neck.

_Ewww_.

"Seth!" I rasped and pushed his muzzle away, he gave me an amused look. "That is disgusting!" My scolding turned to coughing as my throat rebelled; vocal chords obviously not up to the task.

_Damn that vampire psychopath_. I groaned internally as I realized the time it would take my throat to heal.

Bumping his muzzle into my midsection, Seth met my eyes again. I held myself up, barely. Seth's gaze was concerned as he leaned towards me, his head resting against my stomach. His warmth felt good against the ache in my system.

"I'm fine." I whispered into his fur, laying my head down against his and wrapping my arms around his neck. And for the first time in the past week, I felt protected.

* * *

**Add a pinch of fluff and…poof! It's done. **

**Thanks for reading guys and don't forget that little green button that lets me know what you think—I really need the advice :P**

****Oh, and if you read my BN fics—don't worry I will update soon…the finale still has me on a mental tangent. However exams are coming up, so it will not be for another 2 weeks or so…but then it is spring break! Can you say write-to-your-heart's desire? Yes!!**

**--HV**


	7. Chapter 7

**Onward!!! To Chapter 7 LOL. Ok, so I actually got a little writing time in between studying, thus a finished chapter for you guys. Guess What? We're actually starting to get somewhere :)**

_**Seth: It's about time. I have been in need of some serious back-up here.**_

_**HV: What? Is the big, bad wolf-boy afraid of his imprint?**_

_**Seth: Terrified. **_

_**HV: Hmmm…I would have thought you would have put up more of a fight to that.**_

_**Seth: All part of the plan *smiles mischievously***_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_Living is simple  
And breathing is easy  
It's easy to do  
Living is simple  
And losing is easy  
I'm losing my cool  
I'm losing my cool again_

--_Living is Simple_—Switchfoot

_**Alex POV**_

The sudden snapping of a twig caused my head to jerk up from its resting place, my arms involuntarily tightened around Seth's neck. My eyes fell upon two figures coming out of the trees and I had to force myself not to scream--_again_.

On the edge of the trees stood two beings that I never thought I would see together in my entire life. A bronze-haired vampire met my stare and I could tell he must have been no older than me when he was changed. Sure he was extremely beautiful, hell they all were, but what kept me staring were his eyes. They were an awkward topaz color that I had never seen, especially with vampires. To his left was another giant wolf, or werewolf I should say. It was obvious it was the same type as Seth, though it was definitely bigger, more muscular, if it were possible, and its fur was a deep russet color as opposed to Seth's sandy brown.

Seth turned in my grasp and gave them a nod. _What the…?_ At this point I was so confused I did not know what to think. My body was still wired from the fight, so naturally all common sense went out the door and all I could do was debate whether or not to run screaming or stay here like a deer in the headlights.

Seth made up my mind for me. He gave me a knowing look and then trotted off into the trees. I stared wide-eyed after him.

_Sure…leave me alone with the strange vampire and werewolf. They won't attack me or anything_. My mind's sarcasm did little to wane the apprehension in my chest.

I could have sworn I heard a responding snicker and I glanced up in confusion at the new commotion around me. The bronze-haired vampire kept shifting in and out of my vision as he used his speed to gather the ripped remains of the felled vampire. If it were not for my natural fear of the creatures before me, I would have found his movements to be graceful.

The russet wolf, on the other hand, loped to my right where the vampire's head lay. It opened its enormous jaws and clenched the head between them. Its eyes met mine as it passed and I could have sworn I saw a touch of amusement in them.

I scoffed to myself. _Leave it to supernatural creatures to find these situations funny_. A low chuckle interrupted my musing once again and I looked just to see the bronze-haired vampire glance towards me, a smirk on his face.

I glared. Apparently Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dee did not want to let me in on the joke.

The vampire's smirk grew at that and I huffed in frustration_. Figures._

The russet wolf flung the head into the gathered pile of stone-like remains just as the vampire lit them with a silver lighter_—well at least that part of vampire-lore is true. _Seth came jogging back through the bush as the flame took on a blue tint and smoke dissolved into the sky. This time he was a hundred percent human in his cut-off shorts. I gave him an accusing glare as he came to a stop beside me. He pretended not to notice and addressed the vampire next to the flaming mass.

"You guys are a little late." Seth spoke, his tone playful. If I did not know any better I would say he knew the two strangers, yet that did nothing to calm my apprehension.

"I had to wait for the wolf," the vampire replied, nodding towards his companion. I could have sworn the werewolf glared back in response. "Besides, Jacob and I knew you could handle it."

I shook my head at the absurdity of it all. Here I was, _still_ in the middle of nowhere I might add, witnessing a vampire and a werewolf having what seemed to be a casual conversation. A _casual_ conversation that involved killing vampires… _I must be losing it_. Yet this small insight to my insanity did not distract me from the vampire's sudden glance in my direction. His eyes darted quickly from mine back to Seth's. Seth just stood there, staring at him pointedly.

_Wait a minute…_

The vampire nodded to Seth in return. That one minuscule gesture was all it took for my mind to finally comprehend what was going on.

"Oh. Come. On!" I exclaimed as loudly as I could. Seth jumped at the sudden sound, turning to eye me warily. I let out an exasperated sigh and pushed my palms into my eyes, muttering with the insanity of it all.

"Vampires and werewolves…perfect. Just how I wanted to spend my day…But no! It couldn't stop there. You had to throw in another huge-ass wolf and a mind-reader for god's sake!" I growled under my breath. _What was next? A dancing goblin in a bunny suit?_

I heard a melodic laugh and I dropped my hands to death-glare Tweedle-Dee. Tweedle-Dumb just looked at us like we were crazy. I had already deduced that I was.

"Shut it Chuckles." My tone caused vamp-boy to look at me, but it did nothing to wipe the smirk from his face. "Your kind has grated on my nerves enough for one day."

"My apologies," his voice was velvet smooth as he attempted to wipe the smirk off his face, but I wasn't fooled. "You were simply being amusing."

Seth glanced my way in question. I ignored him.

My glare intensified. "Glad I could be of service—I _live_ to share my _private_ thoughts with supernaturals."

The vampire in question did not even look surprised—_typical_.

"Easy Alex," Seth attempted to play mediator. "They're my friends. Edward," he nodded towards the vampire, "and Jacob," his gazed shifted to the russet wolf.

I eyed the two and sighed. "Well Seth," I started weighing my options, "if these two are your friends then you might as well leave me here."

The exasperated growl was back.

"Trust me; it will be better for all parties." I chanced a glance at our audience. The wolf had his head cocked to the side in amusement. I could see a ghost of a smile grace Edward's face.

Seth rolled his eyes. "We've been over this, _multiple times_ I might add, I am not leaving you out here by yourself."

"Relax," I began as I pulled myself up from the ground. My muscles protested and I let out a small hiss. There were going to be bruises…a lot of bruises. Seth moved as if to help me, but my glare stopped him. _Well at least the kid was learning_. "It's not like I will be alone," I continued, my mouth forming a smirk. "I have all these lovely trees and not to mention the random vampires that seem to want my head. Who knows? Maybe I will make some new friends." To say my voice dripped with sarcasm would be an understatement.

I had the two werewolves growling by this point. Luckily for me, Edward seemed to have other ideas.

"He was after you," he inquired giving a slight nod towards the flaming remains.

_I would be the poor, defenseless, full-of-nutritious-red-stuff human_. Wow I was on a roll.

Edward did not find me funny this time. "We need to get her back to the house. It would be stupid to assume there was only one."

Seth eyed me knowingly, likely remembering all the random infuriated-tangents I had gone off on in his presence. I held his gaze for a moment. I knew there would be more vampires. There always were.

Jacob huffed in response and jogged off into the trees. I decided to take his cue and started off too…in the opposite direction.

I got all of two steps before Seth grabbed my arm. I sighed. _Here we go again._

"Alex…" he trailed off. His tone carried a warning.

"What?" I questioned in mock-innocence. He glared and his grip tightened slightly.

At this point the little voice inside my head said, "Screw it," and threw up its arms. I, on the other hand, had a different response. I dug my heels in for leverage and pulled with all my might against my werewolf anchor. Yes, I knew full well it wouldn't work. But I was not about to be taken willingly to the _house_, or as I liked to call it, the _vampire-werewolf fortress of doom_.

A deep chuckle distracted me from my futile effort. I looked to the source and found my jaw dropping in disbelief. Across from Seth and I stood a giant that in all honesty could have been Seth's brother. That is if Seth and his family were addicted to steroids. He had the same ripped, tan body, the same cut-off shorts, the same black hair. This model's hair was slightly longer than Seth's, giving him a shaggy look. I cocked my head in confusion.

I looked to Seth for help, but it was Edward who saved me. "Jacob." He stated. The figure in question inclined his head in a nod.

Suddenly things started to make sense—the huge russet wolf. Well, at least that explained the steroid-usage. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. _Werewolves_. Having solved the enigma, I returned to my previous efforts. Once again straining my weight against Seth and once again finding myself stuck.

"She's a handful," I heard Jacob observe. "Good luck with that one Seth."

"Tell me about it," Seth sighed in response.

"I—am—right—here—you—know," my breath coming out in pants between words.

"We know," Jacob jeered and I caught his eye and the smirk. I glared. _What is it with werewolves being cocky assholes?_ You would think a girl could get a break.

I looked to Edward for some help, only to find the familiar smirk on his face again. It was at that point that it finally registered how screwed I was. I was a human surrounded by two werewolves and a vampire. Advantage? I think none. My stubbornness kept me struggling.

"Alright," Edward's voice interrupted my musings. "We have wasted enough time. Let's get back to the house and we can discuss this with Carlisle and Jasper."

Jacob took one last look in my direction and shook his head before disappearing back into the trees. I assumed he was headed in the direction of the house.

_No way_. My mental announcement caused Edward to raise a brow. I stopped and glared back pointedly. _I am not going_.

That stupid smirk was back and I barely caught the slight nod in Seth's direction before I was hauled off my feet and thrown over his shoulder. Needless to say I was _not_ alright with this.

"Hey!" I yelled at his backside. "Put me down!"

"Sorry Alex," I felt Seth chuckle in amusement. _Yah, sorry my ass_. My body lurched slightly as he took off walking in the direction Edward and Jacob had taken.

I started punching his back for good measure, my bad hand aching in protest. I ignored it and brought my legs back to kick him. Seth easily wrapped his arm around my legs, stopping all attempts at a frontal assault. Remember the whole: it's impossible to win against supernatural strength? _Insert tangent here_.

After five minutes of continuous punching, my hand had had enough. Not to mention the fact that the pain in my neck was starting to get more prominent. The upside-down position had the blood rushing to the bruised area, making it throb. I sighed and leaned my forehead against Seth's back. Might as well rest and think up an escape plan for later.

Almost as if he sensed my discomfort, Seth flipped me around so that he was carrying me bridle-style instead. My head gave a wave of dizziness before it settled down. Seth stopped for a moment.

"What? Decided I could walk on my own?" I muttered, frustrated.

"No," He gave me that weird look before continuing. "I was just going to warn you that I was about to run…" I gave him a dead-pan stare. "So you might want to hold on." He finished raising his eyebrows in a knowing look.

I weighed my options and rolled my eyes at the obvious choice. I highly doubted my body would appreciate the whip-lash of supernatural speed. Grudgingly, I wrapped my arms around Seth's neck and leaned into him. I never took my eyes off the forest ahead of us, the shadows ever ominous. Seth took a deep breath, and suddenly, we were moving.

* * *

**A Hint of Edward, A Dash of Jacob, AND…wahla! Thought you guys would want a little more variety instead of Seth 24/7 (not that we don't like Seth).**

**Just wait until later when Alex meets Alice and her craziness—not to mention the rest of the family. Muahahaha.**

**PS: Exams start Monday and Spring Break starts the next week…so hopefully (fingers crossed) I can get some writing in. I will say though that my BN fics are priority for Spring Break, but I will try to give Seth some lovin'.**

**Thanks for reading**

**--HV**


	8. Chapter 8

**Phew! Jeeze you guys are lucky I suddenly felt like writing tonight. Updates have been hard for me because we are getting to that thick part in the middle where we have to start laying out the serious plot-line. And since I am not one of those authors to just lay it all out in one chapter—chapters like this one have become a serious you-know-what to write. But I tried--And it's a heck of a lot longer than normal! Enjoy!**

_**Seth: O_O**_

_**HV: Wow, for the first time he's speechless.**_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_Sitting on the bed  
Or lying wide awake  
There's demons in my head  
And it's more than I can take  
I think I'm on a roll  
But I think it's kinda weak  
Saying all I know is  
I gotta get away from me_

--_Gotta Get Away_—The Offspring

_**Alex POV**_

Somewhere along the way Mother Nature decided to bless the earth with a torrential downpour. Coincidence? I think not. It is the perfect atmosphere for the part in the horror movie when the heroine arrives at the seemingly perfect little house in the middle of the woods…only to find out later that said house is home to a horde of cannibals.

Except in my special case the cannibals turned out to be vampires and the house was nowhere near little. Not that either of those details made me feel better. Worse actually. From the way Edward had acted earlier, it seemed as though he and his _family_ were determined to make my problem theirs. Why? I have no idea. Maybe they were suicidal. Or maybe they were just bored.

The one ounce of comfort came from Seth. The boy had been kind enough to relay most of the details to me on the run here…that is until the rain started. Then it was pretty much impossible to hear anything he was saying. Status report: We were going to the Cullen household, they were vampires, and apparently they were friends of Seth and Jacob. So at least I wasn't walking in totally blind. Severely vision-impaired and in need of glasses, yes. Blind? No.

So here I was, _still_ in Seth's arms I might add, gazing up at this seemingly harmless house in the middle of the woods. _This should start to sound familiar people_. My body went rigid as I realized we were still moving forward. I did not want to go in that house. And I am absolutely positive Seth knew this, but of course he did nothing to help me. In fact I was pretty sure the reason he was still carrying me was to prevent me from bolting. Well, I'll give Fido credit; I wanted nothing more than to hightail it in the other direction. However, Seth had other ideas as he followed Edward and Jacob through the back door.

We went straight to the living room. The fleeting glimpse I got of the rest of the house was not in the least bit informative. The house looked stocked with your basic upscale living accessories. Not over the top, but still a hell of a lot nicer than any normal home. _A typical, humble vampire abode_. My eyes rolled before I could stop them. Unfortunately for me, Seth had plopped down on the couch so quickly that I had no chance to look for possible escape routes. _One back door_, that was about all I had at the moment. Sure there were windows, but breaking through a window and covering myself in blood-seeping scratches didn't seem like the best idea.

Movement smacked me out of my mental plans. I raised my head to follow and found myself even more outnumbered than before. Three more vampires had joined us. The first was blonde and looked no older than twenty-three, not that I expected any less. He had perfect features, as usual, with blonde hair and a kind face that was marred only by the deep purple circles beneath his eyelids. The woman next to him was just as beautiful with a heart-shaped face and caramel hair. She was smaller than her companion, and her softer features made her appear more human. The two were obviously a couple and if I didn't know any better I would assume they were the parental figures—_if vampires could have such things._

To their left was a far more intimidating specimen. This one was slightly taller than Edward with honey blonde hair and a sleek, muscular build. He definitely appeared younger than the couple, more in his late teens than twenties. His rigid stance and composed face screamed fighter. This vampire had seen some battles in his attempt at eternity. The shining scars along his arms were a clear validation of the fact. He was in deep conversation with Edward as the other two listened intently. Even Jacob and Seth had their proverbial ears perked. I couldn't fathom what they found so interesting. I'm a human, they're supernaturals. Last time I checked their kind killing mine was not some blasphemous occurrence. _Humans were a vampire's prime food source for Christ's sake_. Despite the effort, my sarcasm did nothing to hide that last fact and I suddenly felt very out of place. Slowly and carefully, I tried to shift out of Seth's lap (_yes he was still latched to me—unfortunately_).

I had slipped about five inches through the prison of his arms when his hold tightened, effectively stopping my efforts. It was also at this point that I realized all conversation had stopped and every eye in the room was now on me. To say it was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

Let's recap here: I am the only human, in a house full of vampires. That should be enough to encompass the situation, but I'll continue just to humor you. The vampires seem to be fascinated by my very presence, their weird topaz eyes glowing like they have never seen a human being before. And if that wasn't enough add two hard-headed werewolves to the mix. One of which will not let me go, no matter how hard I try. And don't forget the oh-so-special cherry on top, which happens to be the evil vampires who are hunting me down.

So here I was, sopping wet and literally dripping all over the place, expected to relay my life story to a coven of vampires that I have never met. _Right. Like that is going to happen_. But, as fate would have it, I won't have a choice in the matter. You see there is that annoying little detail of Edward and his ability to read minds—_which means he just heard the entirety of my little mental tangent_. I looked to see him staring at me intently. _Perfect_. I stared intently at a painting on the wall, trying my hand at blocking.

Edward started conversation, obviously taking the hint. "He was after you." He stated the line from the woods again. This time it came out as more of a question.

I turned my head toward him, eyes still on the painting, but my face contorted into a _no-shit-Sherlock_ expression.

He got the hint, though the blonde fighter apparently wanted more details.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would a random vampire go after a human—on our territory nonetheless? It wouldn't waste it's time chasing her through Washington state for the simple task of killing her," the fighter mused.

Needless to say the last comment hit a mark and my gaze snapped to his.

"If killing me were so simple, I wouldn't still be alive," I hissed through my teeth and my opponent raised his eyebrows. "Better yet, why don't you just do it yourself? It would save you some time and agony."

I felt myself vibrate with Seth's growl, but I ignored him. The other blonde stepped forward, his demeanor every bit of the calming tone of his voice.

"My apologies," he began, "Jasper was simply trying to make sense of the situation." His finishing tone was laced with curiosity and I couldn't help but to cock my head in confusion.

"Again, please excuse my family's rudeness," he continued in a warm tone. "My name is Carlisle, and this is my wife Esmé." He gestured to the woman on his right. She gave a friendly smile and I felt my confusion growing.

Vampires did not have _wives_, and they most certainly did not give _friendly _smiles. Maniacal and downright creepy smiles sure, but never friendly ones, it was just… _wrong_. But no matter how much I tried, I could not for the life of me find any of the deceit I was expecting. These two actually looked genuine and it scared the shit out of me. My muscles contracted to spring, but Seth wasn't having any of that. I turned my attention back to Carlisle, trying, against my better judgment, to be polite.

"I am extremely confused," the words came out before I could stop them, and the bluntness of them surprised even me. _So much for being polite_.

Edward, Seth and Jacob chuckled at this, while Carlisle and Esmé just smiled. The statement even got a smirk out of Jasper. Apparently he was as close to sane as this group was going to get.

"As much as I'm sure you would love to hear the details," Jacob surprised me by speaking—I didn't know he was capable of that much intelligence. "I'm more concerned about why you've been dragging Seth around the wilderness. Not to mention the random vampire that was intent on strangling you."

Somewhere in the middle of his statement—_bet you can't guess where_—my temper flared.

"_Excuse me_?" I questioned with a little too much volume. "Why have I been dragging Seth all over the place? Don't you mean why is _he_ dragging _me_?" I glared pointedly between the two werewolves as I said this. "It is not like I asked for a stray puppy to follow my every move. He won't _leave me alone_."

Edward started chuckling at this point and Jacob just smiled at me. I felt like I was missing something. And from the blatant sigh that Seth just exhaled, I was going to guess that this was something I was going to keep missing for a while.

"Enough." Jasper was apparently tired of the pleasantries—if you could call them that. "His second point is valid. Why was the vampire after you?"

I had to hand it to Jasper; at least he got to the point. However, despite my respect for that quality, it was a point that I was in no mood to dwell on. I settled for sighing and leaning back into Seth—let wolf-boy inform Jasper. Seth gazed down at me and met my eyes with a stare that clearly said there was no way he was taking the initiative. I sighed again and returned my attention to Jasper.

"I have no idea." I said meeting his eyes with an innocent enough expression. It wasn't entirely true, but there was no way I was reveling in the details—I made sure of it by singing _Two Pinã Coladas_ over and over in my head.

I couldn't help but smirk as Edward's low growls penetrated the silence.

"Care to elaborate?" Edward inquired. His tone was polite, but I could see it was taking some effort to keep it that way.

"No, not really." I kept up my innocent façade. A soft grumble came from my makeshift chair. Apparently Seth had had enough.

"I can't tell you why Jasper," he started letting out a wisp of air through his teeth in exasperation. "I found her one night while I was on patrol. She was alone and had obviously spent the day running from something. Long story short, the one time I left her alone after that night a vampire shows up and tries to kill her. I take him out, and we end up here."

I had to give the kid credit that was one hell of a shortening.

"But something is missing Seth," Jasper retaliated. "You wouldn't have come here unless there was still a threat. So why bring her here if the problem is taken care of?"

"I never said it was," Seth answered. "Edward, Jake and I assumed that there was more than one vamp. Like you said, it wouldn't make sense for one vampire to intrude on your territory unless it had back-up."

"We have made quite a name for ourselves Jasper," Edward chimed in. "As well as the Pack. And from Seth's memories this vampire was trained, it wasn't an inexperienced newborn. It is obvious we are missing something." He gave me a pointed glare. I decided to fight back this time.

"Look," I started, grabbing everyone's attention. "It is not like I committed a vampire-mafia sin. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, which seems to be a common occurrence for me." My face contorted in a frown as I realized the truth of the words. "So if you were smart. You would let me go along my merry way—_by myself_," I emphasized for Seth's benefit, "—before anyone else gets caught in the backlash that is my overwhelming bad luck."

By the look on everyone's face, there was no way I was walking out the front door. _OK, time for plan B_.

"Actually the smart thing to do," I directed my statement to Jasper. "Would be to just kill me and get it over with." The growling from behind me started again. I ignored it. "I mean, strategically it is the right decision. If you kill me now, the problem is eliminated. Best case scenario, the evil vampires find out and go about other business—their purpose is already fulfilled. Worst case scenario, they show up on your territory, and you kill them. Simple as that."

Seth's growls had long since drowned out my words, but I knew the vampires in the room caught the prospective plan. Three did not look like they were even considering it, but I could see the wheels in Jasper's head turning. Since the beginning of the conversation I had begun to respect Jasper, if only for the fact that he would at least be up-front about killing me.

"As appealing as that sounds," Jacob interrupted. "It's out of the question." He gave Seth a pointed look and the growling stopped. The other vampires in the room nodded in agreement.

I wasn't done though. "And why is that—Mister High and Mighty?" I glared at Jacob, my eyebrows raised in mock-question. "Last time I checked, you had no control over my life whatsoever. Hell, I just met you an hour ago. So excuse me if I'm a little confused by your sudden interest in my welfare."

"Pack interest is my interest," he responded evenly. And I could have sworn he stood up taller and puffed out his chest—_great, just what I need: another alpha male_. "And the Cullen's are good friends of ours, so like it or not, you're stuck with us." Jacob ended with a knowing look sent in mine and Seth's direction, and I once again felt like I was seriously missing some important detail. _You know; the tiny little detail that could either make your day or ruin your life? Yah, that one._

I turned my gaze to Seth accusingly, but he was studiously ignoring me. Grudgingly, I took the hint and turned my attention to the far window where the sun setting behind the ever-present trees. I let a sigh escape.

"Could I please just leave?" As hopeless as I knew it was, I had to try. "I really don't want to drag anyone else down with me. It's just not worth it anymore."

It was the one honest statement I felt like sharing. And it was the only one that mattered anymore.

To my surprise I felt Seth's arms drop and before I realized what was happening, I was on the couch alone and the back door was swinging shut. The silence afterward was deafening. I looked up to find that Esmé was the only one left in the room with me. She gave me a warm smile before reverting her attention to the window that obviously viewed the backyard.

"I'm not going to force you to stay here," she began quietly, though her gaze was still focused on the west window. "Just know that you are welcome here anytime. There's food in the kitchen and clothes upstairs." With that she calmly walked down the hallway and followed the boys out the door.

To say I was confused was an understatement. I had just spent the better part of an hour arguing to get them to let me go. And now they just left me here? _Alone?_ I wasn't buying it. But I wasn't about to sit around and wait for something else to happen.

As quietly as I could, I got up from the couch and made my way through the lower level of the house. I was curious, yes, but if I was being completely honest, I was looking for the front door. I'd bet money that my previous _captors_ –I really had no other word for them—were in the backyard, and I was in no way going to follow. Rounding the corner of a long hallway, it seemed as though I had found my destination. The large oak door loomed ahead of me and all I had to do was walk out. I almost squealed with relief, but stopped myself. I do _not _squeal…_normally_.

My legs made it all of two steps before a velvet voice stopped me in my tracks. "You would really do that to him?" Edward's soft question made me turned to face him. He had appeared behind me, a quizzical scowl gracing his brow.

"Do _what_? To _who_?" His question had me more than a little confused. Though some deep part of my mind seemed to know exactly who he was talking about, but I squandered the feeling before it could surface.

"Though I guess I should know better," he continued, this time not looking at me. "I did the same thing, not too long ago." Edward seemed to be lost in his own little world.

I raised my brow in question, but said nothing. I knew better than to interrupt a vampire's brooding. It was definitely under the kids-don't-try-this-at-home category.

Almost as soon as he had started, he stopped, his head suddenly snapping up in attention and gazing over my shoulder to the door. "Though I don't think you'll have it that easy." The humorous tone in his voice made me shiver and I noticed with hesitation that the annoying smirk was back. This time it was accompanied with a glint in his eyes that sent a chill down my spine.

Without warning, the front door slammed open, the resulting, not to mention agonizingly loud _BANG!_ had me jumping ten feet in the air. A high-pitched squeal of, "SHE'S HERE!" followed afterward, the sound reverberating throughout the house. Ears ringing and eyes wide, I turned slowly to see what all the fuss was about. And instantly wished I hadn't.

Before me stood another vampire that by stature should have been the least intimidating of the bunch, but if her entrance were any indication of what was about to be unleashed, there was no way I was even attempting to stay in the same country as she. It may have been her petite size or her spiky, black hair or the way she literally danced in place in the doorway. It may have been how all the while her eyes never left me—they gleamed in a wickedly disturbing way as if she were the only one in on a frightening secret. But the most unnerving detail however, was the bright pink ensemble she was sporting that was highlighted by the thousands of shopping bags piling off her tiny arms.

To say I was scared did not even begin cover it.

* * *

**OK, so it wasn't a total info-revealer, but I hope it gave some insight into what Alex is dealing with. Remember she's not one of those tell-all types (she's a bit of a loner LOL). Plus I figured the flashback chapter would be with Seth and not with everyone and their brother listening in :)__****Soon, my friends, soon.**

**BUT…Did you see those imprinting hints? Did ya? Did ya?—She's starting to catch on…sorta.**

**Don't despair guys the next chapter involves Alice and the torture that only she can bring *evil cackle***

**Reviews make me my day!**

**Thanks for reading--HV**


	9. Chapter 9

**First, I must apologize profusely for the late update. I just started my Co-op a week ago and things have been hectic, thus my writing schedule is totally whacked. However, I made it up to you (hopefully)—this chapter is long compared to the others—Enjoy! Oh and ignore the double-spaced song lyrics..FF is being stupid again.**

_Seth: O_O_

_HV: What?_

_Seth: Alice is coming *squeaks and hides under bed*_

_HV: Sometimes I worry about you._

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_This used to be a Funhouse_

_But now it's full of evil clowns_

_It's time to start the countdown_

_I'm gonna burn it down, down, down_

_I'm gonna burn it down._

_--Funhouse—_Pink

_**Alex POV**_

Torture. Funny little word isn't it? You know the one usually associated with maniacal instruments, a hard-ass villain, and let's not forget the pain and agony. But not this time. Oh no, this time was anything but usual. This time torture made its entrance as a pixie vampire with an insanely excited smile. Yah sure, she had plenty of maniacal instruments—from straighteners to dryers, to all kinds of gels and lotions that I didn't even know existed. Let's not count out the colossal assortment of clips and pins that pricked your skull until it bled. And don't even get me started on the contraption known as the eyelash curler…

Torture was long gone. This was hell.

**== 6 Hours Earlier ==**

For the record, I tried running. Yes, I learned a long time ago that it was completely useless, but could you blame a girl? Here I was staring down the epitome of all things frilly, sparkly, glittery and girly—my tomboy radar was screaming at me to run the other way, especially when said epitome was armed with thousands of shopping bags and supernatural strength. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was going to prevail, but there was no way I was going willingly.

Instincts made my body pivot in the opposite direction, legs preparing for the coming sprint. I got all of five inches before I felt a hand on my arm. It yanked with just enough force to keep me in place and my gaze fell to the crazy, spiky-haired vampire. Though how she held onto me and the bags I will never know. She held my stare and her lips moved into the widest Cheshire-cat grin I have ever seen.

I gulped and looked to Edward, not needing to say anything as I am sure my mental panic was enough for him. To my horror, he simply smiled and shook his head. My stomach dropped. _Was there no way out of this?_

"It's best just to let Alice be Alice," my head snapped toward the new voice. Beside Edward stood a brunette vampire, and it was obvious by the way they subconsciously leaned toward each other that they were mates. "Trust me," she continued, "I speak from experience."

I gazed back over my shoulder at Alice and winced at the evil glint in her eyes.

_Shit._

"Bella is right Alex," Edward tried to sound reassuring, which I didn't buy for a minute, he was enjoying this way too much. "Just let Alice go. The less you resist, the sooner it will be over."

That last sentence was too ominous for my liking. "What will be ove—" my inquiry was cut short as an ear-splitting squeal rattled the house. _What was this girl? Half banshee?_ It should be illegal to make that noise.

"Oh we are going to have SO much fun!" Alice screamed as she bounced up and down so fast she was a blur.

_Could vampires use drugs? 'Cause I swear this girl was on something._

"I haven't had a proper make-over extravaganza since Bella, but now I have you." She gave me a once-over and I flinched again. "I was hoping you would be a little more open to it than she was"—a glare at the brunette—"but I can see that is a lost cause. Oh well." She shrugged it off like she did this everyday and I was starting to wonder if she did—and that was precisely the moment I realized I had run out of allies. My stomach flipped again and I gave a pull against her hold.

She simply pulled back, giving absolutely no effort to the movement and she prattled on about shoes, clothes, colors, accessories, and apparently my lack of style. _Well excuse me for not giving a damn what I look like while running for my life_. I got the feeling that Alice was the type to put a girl in stilettos for a track meet—as long as her legs looked good it didn't matter if she tripped and killed herself. Where was wolf-boy when I actually needed him? He follows me around relentlessly and then the one time I need his werewolf abilities and he ditches me. The panic set in again and I found myself mentally pleading for Seth to show up.

"And we'll have to wax," Alice continued her rant, "you could use a tune up in that department. OOOoooh and I have this perfect little dress that you would—"

"_Hold it_!" I got myself under control long enough to stop her fashion tirade. To my surprise she dropped my arm as well. "I don't want any of that. In fact, I was just leaving. So if you'll excuse me…" I turned toward the front door and collided with a familiar wall of muscle. _Figures_.

"Alex what…?" Seth sounded worried, which caught me off guard for a minute, yet as his gaze went from my face to glance around the room, something seemed to click and his eyes took on a mischievous glint. "Hello Alice."

"Seth," she responded with a nod. The calmness in her tone scared me even more than the previous outburst. Something was not right. Alice just turned and headed toward the stairs, bags in hand.

_Weird_.

"I have a lot of work to do with your Impr—_friend_," Alice's voice floated from the top of the stairs. "Bring her up when you're ready." And with that she was gone.

I couldn't even begin to fathom what that was about and I didn't have any more attention to spare. As quickly as I could I veered around Seth and grabbed the door knob. I was _not _joining her pamper-party, no matter how much she seemed to think I would be. The metal twisted under my hand and before I could push the door open I was forced into a strange sense of weightlessness.

I shook my head and my mind bulked when I realized that I wasn't weightless, just upside-down. Over Seth's shoulder. _Again._

_Damnit_.

Thrashing to get more leverage, I eventually succeeded in pulling myself upright. Elbows supported on Seth's shoulders to keep me steady. Sure, wolf-boy still had a hold of my legs, but at least I could see straight.

"Put. Me. Down." I whispered in his ear and I felt him shiver before chuckling quietly.

"Alex it really is for the best. You're still soaked from this morning and you can't tell me you don't want a shower."

I didn't take the bait. "I don't _need_ a shower—particularly when there is an evil vampire in the form of _Thumbelina_ waiting upstairs."

"Alice isn't evil," he paused to consider that and I scoffed. "She's just enthusiastic."

"Enthusiastic my ass. No need for reassurance Fluffy, I'm not budging. Did you see what she was armed with? Shopping bags. _Thousands_ of them. Not to mention the other ridiculously girly products that she has hidden up there." I shivered. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not really the fru-fru type."

He laughed, but his grip didn't loosen. "You'll be fine." And to my complete dread he started up the stairs.

"Famous last words." I grumbled.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

As far as I was concerned Seth was going to _die_. I was going to kill him. _Slowly_.

After he unceremoniously dropped me into the torture chamber, he left. Yep, just dumped me in a chair, mumbled something about Jacob, then left. So the one person that I could even remotely refer to as friend in this catastrophic scenario just left me for dead. _Perfect_. And he wonders why I have trust issues.

**==Present Time==**

I had been poked, prodded, waxed, and highlighted to the point where I could no longer feel any of my extremities. Hell, I couldn't even feel my hair. I had lost track of time eons ago. My sanity and awareness bailed somewhere in between the eyebrow plucking and pedicure. I winced as I remembered the way my toes glowed with an unearthly purple shine. _Ick_.

It had to be near, if not past midnight as my eyelids were having a serious time cooperating. They were starting to shut on their own accord. The struggle with the banshee demon had left me dead tired. Proof of this was the fact that I was no longer concerned with Alice in general. Once she calmed down past her ultra-bubbly-Barbie side, she wasn't that bad. Don't get me wrong she's completely insane—it's the lack of sleep talking here—but in a tolerable way.

At about four hours in, my rational side had finally conceded to Edward and Bella's previous warning. I had won a few battles, but completely lost the war. So here I finally stood in front of a full length mirror, completely and utterly _Barbiefied_—as Bella so ardently put it. Makeup covered every inch of my face, and even though Alice had said she had gone light with it, I still couldn't see my real face. She had even given me a "smoky eye" to as she put it, "bring out those gorgeous sea-green eyes."

My light brown hair was concocted into a half-in-half doo of some sort. Braids and curls flew everywhere in an amazingly ordered pattern—I still could not get the headache to go away due to that experience. Hell the girl even waxed me! And trust me when I say there are places I did not even know you could wax and I _never_, _ever _want a part of that torture _ever_ again. I shivered at the memory. At least Alice had let me shower alone. That girl has some serious personal bubble issues.

I push from behind made me sway slightly, my body clearly screaming to sleep.

"Come on Alex," Alice said in a friendly tone. It sounded genuine, but hell if I was going to believe it right now. "I will show you the guest room. You must be tired."

I was too tired to respond and settled for giving her a look that clearly said _No-dipshit-dumbass_.

She led me to a room at the end of the hall and opened the door. My mind only registered one detail: that there was a queen-sized bed smack-dab in the middle of the room. _Thank God_.

"I'll leave you be then. There's an adjoining bathroom if you need it and don't hesitate to call if you need anything—it's not like you'll wake us up."

One minute she's Miss America gone Torture Princess and the next she's the perfect hostess vampire with a sense of humor. I sighed. I was way, way in over my head here. I heard the door click shut behind me and wasted no time dead-bolting the door shut. My mind faintly wondered as to why in the world vampires would humor themselves with locks, but it was cut short as my body sagged against the door. If I weren't so tired this would definitely be a time for my daily dose of WTF tangents. My eyes finally closed as I leaned against the door frame.

A bump at the far wall snapped me out of dreamland. I looked to find a window there and I would bet a lot of money someone was trying to come through it. Another bump confirmed that theory. I was _not _in the mood for any more vampires and _so help me if_…I shook my head. _Focus_. I grabbed a lamp off the bedside table and crept toward the window. Angling to the side, I pressed my back flush against the wall next to the window frame and waited. I held my breath as the sill opened slowly and a figure bent through.

Body surging with newfound adrenaline, I swung the lamp with all my might towards the intruders head. It smashed against the skull, glass shattering everywhere. Damn the person had a hard head.

"OW! Jesus Alex…what the…!" The familiar voice shattered the silence and my hard head theory was confirmed. Crisis averted, my heart-rate slowed and I set the broken lamp back on the table. I walked into the adjoining bathroom, completely ignoring the cursing werewolf in the other room.

Turning on the light I started to undo the damage the pixie had done. It took a good hour, but I eventually got my face back and my hair in a normal pony tail. I'm sure I would face Alice's wrath in the morning, but who in their right mind makes someone over just before said person goes to sleep? No one. Apparently I just got stuck with the crazies.

My pajamas were a whole other story unfortunately. After literally throwing a fit, Alice had conceded to my aversion to the horrid pink set of flannel pajamas she had picked out. Instead she opted for a blue set. The color I could do, the design…not so much. Poofy and frilly did not even begin to cover it. I looked like a ballerina mixed with the girl from _Willy Wonka_ that turned into the blueberry. Oh I knew this was Alice's attempt to get me to where the pink set and when I didn't budge, she then insisted that both sets were from Paris and "the latest fashion". _Bull_. I hate pink.

There was no way I was sleeping in this "clothing". With effort I pulled the top over my head and threw it into the sink. Thank God Alice had had the decency to give me undergarments. Remarkably the bra and panty set were normal. A simple black set that was so plain that it stuck out from the rest of the outfit. Not that I was complaining, plain was right up my alley.

I was halfway through getting the pants—_if you call them that_—off when I heard an intake of breath from the doorway. I turned my head to see Seth standing there, an unreadable expression on his face. I went back to my endeavor.

"W-what are you doing?" Seth stuttered from behind me. I gave him an obvious look. Judging from the look on his face you would wonder if the boy had ever seen a girl before.

I held up the part of the pant leg and motioned to the sink and Alice's poor excuse for sleepwear. "Would _you _sleep in this?"

"No…b-but…" Aw look, I had the boy flustered again. Lord help me, I wasn't even trying this time.

"Relax Seth," I grunted with effort as I finally freed my legs from the obnoxious fabric. "You've seen a girl in a bikini before right?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then you'll be fine." I cut him off. "_Trust me_, these undergarments have far more fabric than most bikinis anyway."

He stood stock still as I brushed past him and moved toward the bed. I slipped the covers back and stretched into a comfortable position; face buried in the pillow. I could still feel Seth at my back and I mumbled into my pillow.

"What was that?" His voice came out steady this time and I looked to find him staring out the window, the moon giving him an eerie glow.

"I said that it is your fault anyway. You are the one who surrendered me to Alice and then randomly snuck into my room via window. So excuse me if you see something that makes you uncomfortable."

He didn't move and I wondered if the words registered.

I sighed. "Really Seth, you can go. I'm all tucked in for the night and I am pretty sure whoever is after me isn't stupid enough to pull a breaking and entering here."

He still didn't move.

"Fine," my voice had lost all its edge. I reached up and turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness. The only glow came from the window where I could still vaguely make out Seth's outline.

"You're not going to pull the werewolf-overprotective-thing are you?" I gave an unenthusiastic laugh at that. The last thing I need was an overprotective supernatural male. They were more trouble than they were worth.

Seth moved then, his face contorting in _the look_. I decided to humor him.

"I've always wanted a puppy." I mused.

I heard Seth rumble with the beginning of a growl and smiled to myself.

"What?" I asked none too innocently.

"Go to sleep Alex." Seth attempted to be irritated and failed miserably.

"You know, I am starting to hear that a lot," I set my head down on the pillow and stole one last glance at the window and Seth. "What about you Fido? Do you ever sleep?"

"Not tonight."

"Come on Seth"—I yawned and continued my attempt at an argument—"even werewolves need sleep. Especially ones that have to deal with stubborn women."

"Did you just admit to being stubborn?" I could hear the humor, but my mind refused to register anything else.

Another yawn. "You're taking advantage of my sleepiness," I mumbled and started to drift. "At least try to sleep. Nothing is going to get us tonight and you would hear anything before it came. Not to mention the vampire mafia that inhabits this humble abode."

I heard a chuckle and took it as a means to an end. My body sagged into the mattress then and I finally let myself go. The last thing my mind registered was the bed shifting behind me and a slight pressure on my forehead.

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**So what did you guys think? Good, bad, ugly…**

**And before you start, the rest of the characters are coming soon. I didn't want to overwhelm poor Alex. Dealing with Alice, Rosalie, and Renesmee in one day would have been horrific. **

**Also, I want this to be a fanfic about Alex and Seth, not everyone else. They'll play their parts I promise, but since this is Twilight fanfiction I am assuming that most of you know the characters and I shouldn't have to go into extremely detailed introductions. I want it to be about plot more than anything.**

**Until then: Review please—anything will suffice—it makes me happy and gives me a reason to write.**

**Thanks for reading--HV**


	10. Chapter 10

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**Onward to Chapter 10…I'll save the rest for when you get to the end (Oh, and yes I know the song is ironic, but it fits the chapter for other reasons besides the title).**

_Alex: What the hell is this place? __Hhhmmmm.*poke* *poke*_

_HV: -_-U_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_Her name is Alice (Alice)  
She crawls into the window  
Through shapes and shadows  
Alice (Alice)  
And even though she is dreaming, she knows_

Sometimes the curiosity can kill the soul but leave the pain  
And every ounce of innocence is left inside the brain  
And through the looking glass we see she's faithfully returned  
But now off with her head I fear is everyone's concern  
You see there's no real ending  
Its only the beginning  
Come out and play

_--Her Name is Alice—_Shinedown

**Seth POV**

It was weird what Imprinting could do to someone. I had heard all the guys talk about it, but had never once fully believed it. My sister's troubles being enough to plant the seed of apprehension. But as I looked down at Alex in my arms, I felt it. And I knew I was done for. For some reason, it was her. This stubborn, sarcastic, infuriating, crazy girl was my Imprint and I only hoped that one day I could tell her and not make a complete mess of the situation.

_But who was I kidding?_ The situation was already a mess and there was no way I was dropping the _I'm-bound-to-you-for-eternity _bomb just yet. Neither of us was ready for that. In fact, I was pretty sure if she woke up and found me wrapped around her… Well, I'd rather not find out. I had witnessed enough from the rest of the pack to know not to let the Imprinting emotions get out of control—_especially_ when your Imprint has no idea of the bond yet. Come to think of it I think Brady still has the mark from his experience—one that I was not in any hurry to repeat.

Minding my conscience, I gingerly disentangled myself from Alex's limbs. _This, I might add, was a lot harder than it originally looked._ Apparently our bodies had decided to make a giant human pretzel in the middle of the night. After thirty minutes of twisting and turning I finally was free and I placed a kiss on Alex's forehead before heading to the kitchen.

I started as she turned and leaned toward my place on the bed. I slipped out of reach and smiled.

_Not yet_.

**Alex POV**

I awoke alone. I sighed at the tranquility of it. It was nice to have a moment of peace and quiet as opposed to hostility and madness. My head turned into the pillow and I could have sworn I smelled Seth. Funny, I thought I had slept alone. But as I inhaled again I picked up that woodsy scent that could only be Seth. I stopped myself at that, pondering the insane fact that I knew what Seth smelled like.

_What the hell??! Since when did I know what Fido smelled like? Since when did I care?_ Again I felt that feeling in the pit of my stomach that was the answer to all my questions. It was also the feeling that scared me to death—I had been there before, and I was not ready to go there again. I closed my eyes and tried to get my mind to drift back to the peace.

I was halfway there when a bright flash taunted my eyelids and forced my eyes open. There, to my utter horror, was Alice. With a camera. Pointed at my face.

"Alice!" I screamed. "What the hell are you doing?!" I buried myself further into the comforters.

"Before and after photos silly," she said it like it was the most common thing in the world to be doing in the morning.

"Before and after…_what?_ Why would you need photos of me sleeping?" I was _not_ in the mood for this.

"Well," she sighed dramatically. "Since you destroyed my work from last night, I am going to have to start all over again." I stiffened under the covers. "And as you clearly did not appreciate my art, I figured before and after photos would make you see the light." She pulled the covers from my head and gave me a smile that I was beginning to know far too well.

"No." I gave her the best glare I could this early in the morning.

For some reason she considered my expression and shrugged. "Fine."

The statement caught me so off-guard that I sat up, confused.

"Fine," she continued, "no makeover."

I sighed in relief.

"I am, however, getting you in _this_," she pulled something from behind her back and I knew instantly that my relief came too soon.

I was staring into the depths of my deepest, darkest, pinkest nightmare.

I sprung from the bed with lightening speed and ran for the door. She beat me to it, blocking my only escape route. I wasn't stupid enough to jump out a two-story window—yet.

"That _thing_ is not coming within three feet of me," I growled at the pixie. "I swear Alice, if it touches me…" I trailed off as she gave me a wicked glare.

I was out of options. So I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed my trusty bedside lamp and prepared for battle.

**Seth POV**

"So let me get this straight… Seth finds this girl, in the middle of the woods. Girl just happens to be running from crazy-evil vampires, and Seth just happens to Imprint on her?" I rolled my eyes at Emmett's attempt to be serious.

After breakfast, Jake, Edward, Jasper and I had decided to regroup and attempt to figure Alex's situation out. Carlisle was at the hospital, so it was down to us at the moment. Although we first had to explain to Emmett what the hell was going on. Needless to say, it was going slow.

"Emmett…" Edward attempted.

"And to top it all off, the evil vamps are still lurking around? Dude what are the odds? It's like Bella 2.0."

"That's not the point Emmett," Jasper saved us this time. "Regardless of Imprinting, we now have a vampire threat to deal with." He sighed before continuing. "And what's worse is that we have no idea what kind of threat it is. There are no details and it's forcing us to grapple for clues. This could be a full out attack or a petty lover's spat for all we know." An exasperated growl ended his point.

"Does it matter?" I found myself asking. "There's a threat to her life…isn't that enough?" I locked eyes with Jasper.

"The threat is enough, yes," he responded. "But her life is not. I am not going to risk this family for a girl I barely know."

I started to shake, but Jasper continued un-phased.

"We don't even know if the girl is a part of the ploy—there are simply too many attributes."

A growl started forming in my chest, but a hand on my shoulder quelled it. I looked to meet Jake's eyes and ordered myself to calm down. Jacob settled his gaze on Jasper.

"I'll agree that the lack of details is unsettling, but Alex is Seth's Imprint." Jake's tone held the Alpha authority that he rarely used. "She's Pack now, and I will not allow her to be harmed, or thrown to the bloodsuckers." Jake's attention went from Jasper to Edward.

"If it were Alice, Jasper," Edward turned to his brother to mediate. I could see the wheels turning in Jasper's head.

"If it were Alice, you would be feeling _exactly_ what I am feeling now," I took over the conversation. "I am asking for your help Jasper." The tone of my voice caught Jasper's attention. "I am not asking you to throw away everything to help us. I am just asking for back-up if I need it. You know how these vampires think, and I would be an idiot to disregard your opinion. But I will protect her. _No matter what_. I don't need your approval for that." I finished with a glare in Jasper's direction.

Jasper held my stare. "Alright," he conceded. "Forgive me Seth. It seems I have let my past overshadow my judgment. You have helped us without question and it seems it is my turn to repay the debt."

My posture relaxed again as Jasper gave a nod and exited the kitchen.

"Whew! Well that was interesting," Emmett's booming voice broke the last of the tension. "Don't worry about Jazz, he'll come around. He's always this cautious in the beginning."

"I'm glad he gave in," Jake sighed. "I was afraid I would have to pull the You-owe-us card. And I have to admit, that's one ace that I was hoping to save for later."

"Too bad Jasper played it for you," Edward smirked and Jacob glared in response.

"There's _one_ thing I don't quite understand," we turned our attention to Emmett. Whenever he had that inquisitive tone, well, one does best to listen to him—before the real Emmett returns. "You said she knew you were a werewolf," he pointed to me and I nodded. "And you also said that she knew about the vampires and figured out these two"—he pointed to Edward and Jacob—"pretty quick. Hell, she even knew Edward was a mind-reader. So…"

"She's either incredibly observant, has vast supernatural fantasies, or has been through this before." Edward finished for him.

"Or all of the above," Jake mused.

"My bets on option three," I finished. Alex was observant, yes, but her reactions definitely pointed towards prior experience—no matter how much she tried to hide it.

"Well," Emmett pondered, "at least we can bypass the running and scream—

A loud bang and a series of thumps from upstairs interrupted our discussion. My body stiffened in response. I didn't need Imprinting to know it was Alex. But the smirk on Edward's face made me relax a little. Apparently whatever was going on up there was nothing to be worried about. A crash followed the thumps and I could not stop myself from inching toward the stairs. It sounded like World War III up there.

Emmett snickered.

"Seth," Jacob's voice made my head turn, "she'll be fine." He tried to sound reassuring, but the amusement in his tone squandered it. "Alice attacking in the name of fashion is nothing to be worried about"—another crash from above—"and in all honesty I think you're safer down here."

"Agreed," Edward added. "There's nothing—

A harsh scream cut off Edward's remark, and before anyone could comprehend it, I was bounding up the stairs and breaking open the door of the guest room. The thought of Alex in danger had my body shaking to phase and I forced myself to breathe. Though as I took in the scene in front of me, all triggers of the Change came to a halt.

The room was in shambles. Almost everything in sight was broken or shattered. And smack dab in the middle was Alex laying face-first on the floor, mumbling a continuous stream of profanities into the carpet. Alice sat atop her back, one arm holding Alex's shoulders down as the other slipped the last strap of the dress in place. Well, at least that explained the screaming. Alice held her position as she turned toward me, her trademark smile fully in place.

"Done," she said triumphantly.

I just stood there dumbfounded as I attempted to pull my jaw off the ground.

"Don't worry Seth, she is perfectly fine. And now she has the outfit to prove it." The smile grew bigger.

Alex responded with more profanities.

"Well next time I spend six hours making you look amazing, _don't destroy it all_." Alice ended with a tone that made me flinch. And within a second the smile was back as she daintily jumped off of Alex and walked out the door.

As soon as Alice was off her, Alex picked herself up off the ground and crossed her arms defiantly, glaring towards the hall.

"_There will not be a next time_," it came out in a whisper, but I still heard it. I'd bet money that Alice had too. And by the look on Alex's face that is exactly what she was betting on as well. She raised her head to me then, as if finally realizing I was in the room, which gave me the opportunity to finally realize what she was wearing.

It was a dress—no surprise there. This is Alice we are talking about. The scream factor probably came from the bubble-gum pink color of the fabric. I didn't blame Alex. Hell _I_ would scream if I were stuck in _that_, but I had to admit, she looked amazing in it. I felt a smile growing. I'm no fashion expert, but I am a guy, and I could appreciate the way it fit every curve and accented her features.

Alex, on the other hand, seemed to have a completely different opinion and she glared in my direction. She strode toward me until she was within three inches of my face—the look on hers wiping the smile off of mine.

"Not a word wolf-boy," she hissed and then brushed past me out the door.

I sighed. I should have never left her alone this morning.

**Alex POV**

I trudged down the stairs, mumbling obscenities the entire way. I swear Alice was going to pay for this. I have never in my life worn a dress on my own free will. The fact that a vampire just had to man-handle me into one should be a clear statement of my feelings toward the annoying excuse for clothing. My body made it to the kitchen on its own accord and I plopped down into a chair.

In mere seconds three heaping plates of food was set before me. There was everything from pancakes, sausage and bacon to eggs, fruit and toast. I gaped up at Esmé's smiling face.

"I wasn't sure what you would like, so I made a little of everything." Her expression was so honest and warm that I couldn't help but like the woman.

"Thank you," I managed to gasp out as my eyes scanned the towers of food before me and my stomach gave a growl of approval. I'd forgotten how long it had been since my last meal.

Esmé chuckled at my guttural sounds. "Well apparently I made the right decision. You must be starving."

"You have no idea," I said as I started loading my plate with food. "At least one of you is sane around here."

She gave another bell-like laugh at that. "You'll have to excuse Alice. She means well"—she stopped at my raised eyebrow. "What I mean is; she wants to help. She can just be a little over-the-top at times. It's a lot to take in if you've never met her. But her heart's in the right place."

I decided against questioning if the banshee had a heart. Esmé didn't deserve my rudeness. I conceded to eating my breakfast in silence. I was halfway through my second plate when my tower of pancakes suddenly rattled as the table moved. I looked for the culprit only to find the largest vampire I had ever seen occupying the seat across from me. I couldn't help it, I gaped.

The vampire in question gave a thundering laugh and stuck out his hand. "Hi," he said in that same smooth voice. "I'm Emmett."

I tentatively shook his hand and my eyebrows rose at the gentleness of the shake. I had been expecting my arm to fall off.

"So you're the new blood around here," I glared and he laughed again. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

His smile was so child-like that I couldn't help but soften my expression. I was getting the impression that Emmett was a big teddy-bear. Granted a teddy-bear that would bite your head off if provoked, but I had no plans to provoke him. I went back to my meal. It wasn't long before I felt eyes on me again and looked to find Emmett staring intently at me.

"_What?_" I asked, not appreciating the scrutiny.

The smile was back, though this time it had a wicked gleam to it. "I like that color on you. Really brings out—"

I flung a waffle at his face.

He caught it inches from its destination. _Typical_.

"Wow," he laughed at my attempt. "Seth sure knows how to pick 'em." His playful expression turned serious for a second. Then he smirked. "You'll fit in just fine around here." He smiled once more before his attention abruptly turned toward the doorway.

I followed his gaze and my eyes widened in shock once again. Before me stood the most beautiful vampire I had ever seen. She had the kind of body every woman dreamed of with her long blonde hair and supermodel physique. The only flaw was the stone cold look that seemed to be permanently etched on her face. To say I was curious was an understatement. There are only two types of personalities that go with this body type. One: the cute, innocent southern girl who is a complete sweetheart. Two: the Bitch.

"So this is what all the commotion is about," she began in a cold voice. I was starting to lean toward option two. She fixed me with a glare that made me stiffen in my seat.

"Oh come on Rose," Emmett attempted to warm up the atmosphere. "Alex just got dragged into hell—"

"I am not obligated to care," she cut him off and turned her gaze back to me. "And I assure you I don't."

Yep, definitely option two. I stood from my seat and walked over to her, stopping once I was right in front of her. If it were possible, he features hardened and her glare turned glacial. I made sure my features stayed free of emotion as I met her hostile stare.

"You're a bitch," my blunt tone caught her off-guard and her eyes widened a smidgen. "But I respect that." And with that I walked out of the kitchen and continued through the back door. I had more important things to deal with than a vampire with a petty grudge.

As I made my way down the porch steps I caught Edward's eye. It was apparent that he heard every bit of the previous conversation. I smirked at his awed expression. I stopped when I got to the yard. For some reason unbeknownst to me, everyone had gathered outside. Edward, Bella, Jasper, Emmett and Alice stood to the side next to Jacob, Seth, and a girl I had never met. It was obvious from her build that she was related to the two werewolves and was most likely one herself. All were in deep conversation over something—though when I came close enough the talking stopped. Well, that answers that question.

Luckily Seth came to my rescue. "Alex," he started, his expression apprehensive, "I'd like you to meet Leah." He nodded toward the girl on his right. "My sister," he finished.

My eyes widened slightly. Well, that explained a few things.

Leah gave me a hard look as she scrutinized my appearance. I had a feeling if I weren't in Alice apparel her and I might have had a chance to get along. _Might_—being the key word. Her expression turned granite and I feared I was in for another Rose experience. The expression alone told me not to even consider a handshake. I sighed and settled for a nod instead. I wasn't surprised when I got no response. Seth rubbed the back of his neck uneasily and looked to Jacob for help. Unfortunately for both of us, it was Alice who spoke up.

"_Ooooh_ doesn't she look exquisite!" She exclaimed as everyone flinched in response to the change in volume.

I stiffened and gave the pixie a death glare.

"I knew that color would work perfectly with your skin tone…Oh! And I have the perfect accessories to go with that—I couldn't get them on this morning." The tinkling tone turned to a growl as she met my glare. "No matter," I blanched as the wicked glint returned to her eyes, "I'll just get them now." And with that, she dashed into the house.

_Oh no_. I was _not _going through this again. I looked around frantically for a way out. My eyes landed on Edward and an idea sparked my mind.

"Edward do you still have your lighter?" From the look on his face, I knew he did. And he thought this was a very bad idea.

"Alex, I don't think—"

"No time," I cut him off and strode forward until I reached his frame—I had about two seconds before Alice came back. Despite the deranged looks I was getting from my audience and the low growl coming from Bella, I reached into Edward's jean pocket and dug until I found what I was looking for. I grasped the lighter tightly in my hand and removed myself from Edward's personal bubble.

Wasting no time, I stripped out of the appalling fabric until I was once again in my faithful undergarment set. I heard the squeal from the upstairs window and quickly lit the lighter before she got any closer, dropping the flame on the dress. Not a millisecond after, I was tackled to the ground by a very familiar pixie.

A very familiar, _enraged_ pixie.

My body instinctively shrunk back from her glare, which was made all the more impressive by the roaring flame framing her face. But I snapped myself out of it and glared back.

"_Please tell me_," her voice was a deadly whisper, "that you did not just burn my one-of-a-kind Versace dress into ashes." At this point I was absolutely positive I was dead. Well, I might as well enjoy it then.

"I just burned your one-of-a-kind Versace dress into ashes," my cold tone never wavered, "_incinerated_ it actually." I smiled. "I warned you this morning what would happen if you put me in a dress."

It was at this moment that I noticed the growling coming from behind me. I tilted my head back to find Seth was the source, his body quivering. Alice noticed too and loosened her grip on my shoulders. I turned my attention back to my tackler.

"Truce," I offered; more for Seth's benefit than mine.

Alice met my stare and seemed to weigh her options before she sighed and her posture sagged. "Truce," she returned. But before she let me up, she bent down and whispered for only me to hear. "This does _not_, however, mean I admit defeat." And with one last glare she jumped off me and sauntered to the house, Jasper following in her wake.

I lay in the position she left me in, taking in the silence of the moment.

It lasted for a whole minute before Emmett broke out in hysterical laughter.

"_Holy shit!_" He boomed, and I swear I felt the earth shake beneath me. "Did she just—Alice and—holy crap—" He trailed off in a fit of laughter.

I rose from my place on the ground and found everyone else in a similar state of shock. Jacob was joining Emmett in the laughter category. Edward couldn't wipe the smirk off his face even as I tossed the lighter back at him.

"Sorry about the invasion of personal space," I said to him. "It was simply due to lack of time." I said it more for Bella as I'm sure someone groping her mate was not on her favorite list, but she just seemed to be dazed by the event.

"I've never…" She trailed off. "I can't believe you pulled that off. I've never seen Alice bested like that… God I wish I would have…" She just shook her head in disbelief and gave me a smile.

Seth was beside himself as usual when I was in my underwear. I rolled my eyes. The poor kid seemed to be suffering exposure overload. At least the shaking had stopped. He caught my stare and snapped himself out of it and walked over to me. His stride was quick and his expression was borderline possessive.

"Will you stop," he paused and took his shirt off and in one quick motion had it over my head, "taking your clothes off." He gave me a pointed look, "Please."

I could only nod. We had been in this position before. Granted that time was completely planned, but I still found myself just as speechless. My mind was reeling.

An unfamiliar laugh brought me to my senses and I turned to find Leah shaking her head in amusement. She met my gaze and this time the expression was warm and welcoming, yet a primal excitement danced in her eyes.

"I like her."

* * *

**So… yah, can't say I haven't been curious to see Alice and Alex go at it—hope it was amusing.**

_**AND**_**… Seth's POV. Yes? No? I tried to break it to you slowly so it wouldn't overload, but I think it worked nicely. **

**I know you guys hate reviewing this story, ****BUT**** you do read it—which means you are aware of the button… **

**Thanks for Reading--HV**


	11. Chapter 11

**OK, so I know you all want to kill me for not updating for over a month…I had some problems lol. ****Writer's block, then work overload, then non-Writer's block a.k.a getting off on a tangent that will not happen for another 10 chapters! ****The Good News: 10 chapters down the road we are set! ****EEeek… I'm sorry! Hopefully you guys can live with this until my next update—which will hopefully be sooner rather than later.**

_Alex: Oooo…pretty shiny F-150._

_HV: *sigh* why am I not surprised? You and shiny things…_

_Alex: *drools* shiny…_

_HV: You know, your character actually learns something in this chapter._

_Alex: Shiny…_

_HV: I tried._

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_Right now I feel like I'm_  
_Losing control_  
_Losing control_

_Hey, hey, hey, hey_  
_My head is spinning cause of you_  
_Hey, hey, hey, hey_  
_You've no clue what you do_  
_Your the storm, and the rain_  
_You've got eyes like a hurricane_  
_Hey, hey, hey, hey_  
_You've no clue what you do to me_  
_You've no clue what you do to me_

-_What You Do To Me_—We The Kings

_**ALEX POV**_

Tree.

Tree.

Tre—

"No way Leah! It's not possible!"

Tree.

Tre—

"How the hell do you know it's not possible if you've never tried it?"

I sighed finally giving up. Even counting trees couldn't drown out the two obnoxious werewolves in the front seat. I glanced to my right to find Seth in a similar state of annoyed resignment. He had his head back against the seat and eyes tightly shut as if he could just ignore them and me. I shook my head and thunked it against the window for good measure. _Good lord…_

After my death-defying stunt, Jacob had oh-so-subtly suggested that he, Seth and Leah should "take me home." Which I assumed was just another supernatural code for "dark lair of the abyss." Though in observing the three werewolves I was currently driving down the highway with, it wouldn't surprise me if that dark lair was actually more like a college party house.

The instant the Cullen mansion was out of sight, the tension released, and my current acquaintances turned into three average, rowdy, as-close-to-normal-as-possible-under-the-circumstances werewolves. They had remained that way for the first twenty minutes of the drive—that is until the great debate had started. Apparently, the serious act was for vampire eyes only…or it could just be that the whole mortal-enemies thing still struck a chord. Sure vampires and werewolves could be friends…but _best_ friends was pushing it.

It was just a tad bit disturbing.

And here I was—human/awkward fourth person—stuck in the backseat of a Ford F-150, while Jacob and Leah were in a heated, and very loud, debate over which was better: Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip. Oh yes people, we went from trying to undermine an evil vampire threat to debating over condiments. _How in the world did I get myself into this?_

"You OK?" My body acted on its own accord and turned towards Seth's voice. But my eyes actually obeyed my brain this time and stayed stubbornly glued to the passing scenery. Little known fact about wolf-boy? Don't look into his eyes. _Ever_. If there was ever one to master the puppy-dog look, it's Seth. Hands down. I went back to ignoring him for my own safety.

It had started out innocent enough. I had put my foot down…_again_, when Jacob had mentioned leaving for Pack territory. My heels dug in for what I had hoped would be the last time. I was honestly sick of the constant change in residence. I was quite happy in the woods _thank you very much_. Seth was forced to mediate once again—Jake and Leah were smart enough to give me space. Seth, on the other hand, strode toward me. Just as I was bracing for him to physically throw me in the truck, he grabbed my arm, face inches from mine and gave me the most sincere, honest, crazy-innocent look I had ever seen and asked in a very polite manner for me to, "Please get in the car."

I was so dazed that I just nodded and hopped in the backseat. It took me five miles to snap out of it and to come to the realization of what had transpired. Needless to say I was pissed. I had tried to retaliate by throwing myself out of the cruising 75 mph truck, but seeing as Seth was a foot from me and easily restrained me before I could get even my hand out the door… creating my other reason for blatantly ignoring Seth the rest of the ride. A shame the plan failed, though it did scare the crap out of Jacob when the truck door suddenly shot open. A small victory I suppose, yet it was dampened by the irritating fact that all the doors and windows were now child-locked.

I had learned my lesson. No more eye-contact with Fido… the boy could get me to jump off a cliff with that look. But that doesn't mean revenge plans weren't simmering in my mind.

"Alex," Seth's second try at conversation brought me back to the present.

I sighed and decided to humor him. "Mayonnaise. That's my vote."

This was met with three simultaneous replies: A low mutter from Seth, a "No way!" from Leah, and a screeching "Yes!" from Jacob. Well at least that mind-numbing debate was over with.

"Come on Alex, at least look at me," I could tell Seth was trying to tolerate me, but from the edge in his voice, I'd say he was failing.

"Wow," Leah finally turned to look at me. "What did you do to him? Normally he's all happy and care-free in that creepily innocent way of his. I've seen him more riled up in the last thirty minutes than I have his entire life." She ended in a chuckle, which only enhanced Seth's glare in her direction.

I turned towards her and smiled mischievously. "I don't know Leah. He has been irritable lately." I made sure to keep my gaze on her and continued to ignore her brother.

Jake laughed. "My money's on a certain tension that has been going on for one too many years now."

Seth's growl in response only had us laughing harder.

"OK, OK," I figured it was my turn to mediate the situation. "No, actually Leah I'm pretty damned sure it was my attempt to throw myself out the door that's made him cranky."

"You could have gotten hurt," Seth replied and I let his glare meet mine this time. _So much for mediating._

"I was trying to make a point," I said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Seth's eyes flashed. "By killing yourself?"

"How the hell is throwing myself out of a vehicle killing myself?" I rolled my eyes and caught Jacob's smirk in the rearview mirror.

"And just what were you expecting if you were to hit the ground at 80 mph?" Seth was fuming now, but I pushed anyway.

"For your information," We were inches from each other now and I forced my voice back to an acceptable volume, "Jacob was going 75, not –

"Dammit Alex!" Seth banged his head against the seat and let out a threatening growl.

I shut up then. Seth was taking this far more seriously than intended and I watched as the muscles in his arms bunched up and he started to shake. I mentally berated myself for pushing him.

"Seth," Jake warned from the front seat, the truck slowing a notch.

My eyes never left Seth as I watched him take deep breaths, clenching and unclenching his fists, trying to get his body under control. I had to remember I was dealing with werewolves. Sure vampires you don't want to tick off, but werewolves can quite literally explode.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. And for once I actually meant it as I scooted across the seat and took Seth's arm. The vibrations of the Change shook him and me as I ran my hands up and down the length of his arm in an attempt at calm.

"Alex," Leah was serious now. "Be careful," she warned and I saw her give Jacob a slightly panicked look. The truck slowed even more.

"Jacob _don't_ stop!" I called to the front seat, eyes still on Seth. Each time the truck slowed, the spasms grew. His body was anticipating running for the forest the instant the truck came to a halt.

"Alex you have no idea…" Jacob trailed off and I could tell he was debating whether to let Seth escape or to try and give him more time to calm down. "When he phases, he'll tear this truck a part. I need to stop and let him go."

"No," I insisted, "you need to keep going. Every time you slow it gets worse. His body is anticipating the stop. Just get to wherever the hell we are going and I'll try to calm him down!"

Jacob growled. "I'm not risking him or yo—"

"Just drive Jacob!" I was surprised to find Leah on my side. "It's her ass that's on the line."

_Or maybe not._

"Get us to La Push and we'll handle this," Leah finished as she turned to me in the back. "He won't hurt you," her eyes flickered to her brother and back to me, her expression slightly annoyed now. "He won't hurt anyone, but he'd die if he hurt you…talk to him and get him to relax."

I met her order with a nod and turned back to Seth, whom had remained oblivious to us throughout the entire argument. The shaking had lessened slightly but his eyes were still screwed shut and his muscles were bulging. _Time for plan B_.

The moment I released my hold on Seth's arm, the shaking intensified. I moved myself quickly so I was straddling him, my knees beside his hips and pressed against the seat leather. If it weren't for the blinding instinct to calm him down I may have listened to the part of me going, "_What the fuck are you doing_?" I grabbed his face between my hands and moved so I was pressed against him. His body shook mine with such force that my teeth slammed together.

"Seth," I whispered his name, knowing he could hear me.

I saw his eyes flicker behind the eyelids and I took that as recognition.

"Seth," I repeated. "You need to calm down. I'm right here." I leaned my forehead up against his and continued. "I'm not going anywhere. I need you to take control and stop. We're both going to be seriously hurt if you don't. _Please_ Seth." The last part was so soft that I didn't think he had heard, but the instant the shaking slowed I knew I was getting somewhere.

I ran my hands down his arms until I reached his hands. My thumbs rubbed circles into his skin until he finally let me pry his fists apart. The threat of phasing was lessening now. The shaking had stopped and all that was left of the ordeal was Seth's ragged breathing. I place his hands at my waist and rested my arms around his neck, our foreheads still touching. He reacted faster than I could comprehend, and his arms were around me completely and crushing me to him. With our bodies pressed so tightly together I could feel his quick, jagged breaths. I made an effort to slow mine and took a deep breath.

"_Calm_." I repeated quietly and let out a sigh of relief when I felt his breathing steady to match mine.

I sagged against him, my forehead coming to rest on his shoulder, as the full comprehension of what just took place hit me. It was accompanied by the forceful realization of the connection I shared with this boy. My body tensed ever so slightly in fear of what I had buried so long ago. Seth tightened his hold and I relaxed again. Our reaction to one another was unnerving…the near-phase being proof of something unnatural. I had only known him for a number of days and he was already causing long-dead emotions to resurface.

"_Shit_." Jacob's soft curse brought me back to the rest of my surroundings and I noticed that the truck had stopped.

"Well," Leah returned, "that was interesting."

The sound of Jacob's head thumping against the seat echoed through the cab, "That," he stated, "was too close." Alpha authority seeped into his words.

"At least we made it here," Leah commented.

"Seth," Jake paused and despite my eyes being closed I knew Seth had opened his to acknowledge him. "You need to control yourself. Now that you have an—" I felt both boys focus on me for a moment then Jacob finished. "Well, it's going to be a lot harder. You can't let every little thing get to you. Before, this wouldn't have been a problem. Now, it gets _dangerous_." Jacob's tone had hardened and I gave a slight shiver in response.

"I'm sorry Jake," I felt Seth's voice vibrate through his chest. "I overreacted."

Leah scoffed in response.

"And I _promise_," I lifted my head and looked at each of my three companions. "That I will never attempt to throw myself out of a moving vehicle _ever_ again…" I considered what I was promising and amended, "Well, at least in Seth's presence."

Leah laughed as Jacob rolled his eyes and Seth tightened his hold again.

"I can live with that," Leah smirked and got out of the truck.

* * *

***Sigh* I tried fluff and I have no idea if I am good or bad at it so I need some help from you guys.**

**Yes, it's a filler, but not really a filler cuz Alex has to come to realize her feelings for Seth sooner or later—hopefully sooner.**

**This came to me after I had some reviews asking why Seth is so angry all the time…so I had some fun with it. Just remember that this is 5 yrs after BD, the kid has had some experience and won't be all innocent all the time.**

**Reviews would help me a lot guys especially criticism and opinions-do you guys like fluff? or are you more action and adventure people? **

**Thanks for reading-HV**


	12. Chapter 12

**OK, so the plan was to post this when Eclipse came out BUT that was kind of an epic fail. So you guys get today instead—consider it an early birthday present for Jacob. Oh and sorry for the extra page breaks, but FF was being nasty and didn't like my alternative.**

_Jacob: I got nothin'._

_HV: *shrugs* me neither._

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_Watching me and wanting me  
I can feel you pull me down  
Fearing you, loving you  
I won't let you pull me down_

-_Haunted_—Evanescence

_**Alex POV**_

I really don't know what I was expecting. When Jacob said Pack territory, well my mind instantly went to a vast expanse of wooded trails, and meadows, and streams, and well…caves. Typical wolf-style. Despite my initial wayward thoughts, I was smart enough to realize that there was no way we were going to pull up in front of a giant stone cave full of frolicking wolves…but that didn't stop my imagination from running amuck.

The scary part was, aside from the cave (yeah right guys…what do you take me for?), my imagination wasn't that far off. The house we had pulled up to was your normal wood-side residence: cedar paneling, huge front porch, gravel driveway, and of course came complete with trees, trees and more trees. The people inhabiting said residence—well, that's where the imagination was accurate. I don't know if I'd use frolicking exactly…but it was close. Think of a synonym for frolicking that specifically applies to a bunch of testosterone-driven werewolves and welcome to my personal hell.

OK, I may be exaggerating…_slightly_.

Immediately after we arrived, Jake, Leah, and Seth went to have a meeting with Sam, Paul, Quil, Embry and Jared—all of whom I have yet to be introduced to, but I'm going to follow the obvious and go with that they are werewolves as well. The sudden group gathering had left me standing in the middle of the front yard.

It was just a little awkward.

Thankfully Emily had saved me. If Leah had a pleasant demeanor and wasn't completely ripped due to werewolf side-effects, Emily could be her sister or even her twin. Unlike Leah, she didn't require a physical wrestling match to gain her approval. A fact that made me exceedingly grateful. She had the same copper skin, though a slightly smaller build, and let's not forget the slight bulge in her stomach—an obvious baby bump. I made a mental note not to tick Emily off. I didn't want to mess with those hormones or the overprotective daddy that I was sure was lurking around here somewhere.

Though as we gathered in the kitchen, I highly doubted I would be getting on Emily's bad-side anytime soon. Nothing really seemed to bother her. An attribute that I assumed was gained through years of werewolf babysitting. I didn't know how she did it, but I was surprised at how quickly I grew to like the woman. It was even more surprising that I was currently helping her prepare lunch. Cooking and I didn't really get along. Normally something caught on fire or blew up, which I am not going to lie is incredibly entertaining until the growling of your stomach reminds you of your predicament. The microwave and I, however, were best buds.

Emily chuckled when I told her this, her face lighting up despite the jagged scars down her jaw-line—a vivid reminder of what could have happened in the truck.

"You're out of luck here," she sighed still laughing quietly. "We don't have a microwave, so home-cooked is the only option."

"Hey! I'm not totally useless!" I laughed starting a mock-argument. "I make a mean breakfast—seriously breakfast I can do—lunch and dinner…"

"Are left to the microwave god?" Emily finished for me as she loaded an insane amount of chicken onto the stove and into the frying oil. She was starting to scare me with the amount of food she was preparing. It was only the first batch and by the look of the pile of chicken on the counter, we had about ten batches to go.

I smiled in response to her retort, earning a disbelieving head-shake from Emily. Despite my lack of fried-chicken knowledge (or anything cooked for that matter), I managed to create one heaping salad that looked edible. My host assured me that even if it were possible for me to screw up a salad, the boys wouldn't care. They would, and I quote, "eat anything."

After my salad attempt, I settled for setting the table while Emily prepared the rest of the lunch. I observed in silence for a little while, completely baffled by the fact that one woman could make enough food for what looked like 100 people…all in the comfort of a small cottage kitchen, while pregnant. The girl had skill.

"So Emily," I started a little unsure of myself. We had been working in peaceful silence for a while. It was nice, with exception of about five minutes ago when my mind started overloading with questions that I had ignored for the past three days. Emily looked up politely and I surged on, hoping I wouldn't outwear my welcome.

"I know this sounds completely idiotic—and I really don't know what you've heard about me—but…do you have any idea where we are?" My voice wavered towards the end in anticipation.

Emily looked stunned and flabbergasted. And for a minute I feared for the chicken and it's partly fried skin. But I had a feeling she wasn't expecting that one. It was so… Well, I really should know where I am…_Right_?

Emily snapped herself out of it and laughed quietly. "I guess Seth and Jacob aren't the best informants?"

"Not really." I deadpanned. It only made her laugh harder.

"Well for starters, you're in La Push, Washington. It's part of the local Quileute reservation," she said.

I let out a sigh; relieved that she didn't think I was completely insane. I had heard that name before…an Indian reservation. Well, that explained the skin-tone.

"So the Cullens? Seth said they were friends…but in all honesty that seems a little out of character for werewolves," I hedged. I might as well get as much information as I could, while Emily was willing to give it. I didn't want to chance a Seth conversation just yet.

"Oh," she paused for a moment seeming a little stunned. "You'll have to excuse me. I'm not used to someone already knowing the whole werewolf-vampire mess." She gave me an apologetic smile, but I could see the question underneath it.

"It's a long story," it came out a little more loaded than I intended, but to my relief Emily didn't pry.

"I'm sure it is." Funny, I hadn't thought Emily as the sarcastic type. _Brownie Points for he_r. "Anyway, the Cullens, yes Sam told me you met them." At my inquisitive glance she filled in the blank. "Sam is my husband," Emily smiled looking down at her growing stomach.

"Right," I said. I really needed to learn who was who around here.

Seeming to sense my hidden question Emily gave me the quick need-to-know of the La Push wolf pack. The main delinquents concerning me (a.k.a the werewolves closest to my age/ the ones I would see almost every day—_even if I didn't want to_—according to Emily) were Sam, Jacob, Paul, Jared, Embry, Quil, Brady, Collin, Seth and Leah.

I could feel my paled expression. That was a lot of wolves.

Emily was amused. "Oh, there's more than that," she laughed as my face got paler, "it's just I highly doubt you'll run into them. They're inexperienced and not quite ready for the Pack mentality yet."

I couldn't stop my relieved sigh.

"Anyway, where were we?" she said attending to the chicken as she continued to where the conversation was before the impromptu tangent, "the Cullens are the local vampire coven whom the Pack has had a treaty with for quite some time now."

She looked up at me and I nodded for her to continue.

"The Cullens don't hunt humans, as I'm sure you figured out, so the Elders granted their truce request with the soul requirement that none of their coven hunt or bite humans. The truce was kept for over ninety years until a few years ago when a situation arose between a Pack member and Edward Cullen…

She paused and seemed to consider something, "Well, that's not really my story to tell. Long story short, the situation became a complication in which the Cullens called on the Pack to help them defend against an evil vampire coven. The Pack agreed to help and things have been relatively friendly ever since. No matter what we all think; the past couple of years have proven that vampires and werewolves make useful allies."

I could tell that was all I was getting on that topic, so I chose a lighter avenue.

"So do the Cullens live in La Push too? I mean it doesn't seem likely, but the drive here wasn't that long…" I trailed off not knowing where to go.

Emily smiled again, seemingly relieved that I had switched to an easier topic. "No, the Cullens don't live here. They actually live on the outskirts of a town called Forks. La Push is Pack territory, Forks and beyond is Cullen territory—at least as far as Washington State is concerned."

"Ah, that makes more sense," I responded, relieved that I finally had an idea of my surroundings.

"Alex, was it?" Emily caught my attention as I set the last stack of plates, making a mental note on the eating habits of a werewolf pack. Apparently buffet style was safer when it came to werewolves. Place by place setting was just useless. Eyeing the chicken mountain again, I could see why.

"Yeah, sorry," I actually blushed at my stupidity. "God I'm rude. We've been helping each other for the past hour and I didn't even introduce myself." I smacked my hand against my forehead for good measure.

Emily just smiled.

"Really, it's fine," she said. "Sam told me earlier, I just wanted to make sure. But I was actually going to ask another question."

"Shoot."

"Where are _you_ from?" It was such an innocent question that it kind of caught me off guard. But I owed Emily at least some of the truth. I owed a lot of people the truth.

"Ohio," I tried futilely to not choke out my response.

"That's a long way from here," she mused completely un-phased by my tone of voice.

"Well…" I hesitated and quickly blocked out the mental images trying to rise to the surface. "I lived there all my life then something happened…

My voice drifted and I gazed out the kitchen window, its reflection capturing the images that haunted me. _The accident. The burning house. Caleb covered in blood. Running until I couldn't breathe._ I shook my head sharply and the visions disappeared.

Emily remained silent, waiting for me to continue.

"Something involving _vampires_," I met her surprised gaze. "The short version?" It came out as a humorless chuckle. "I managed to lose them long enough for me to get to the airport. I grabbed the first flight to God knows where—Oregon if I remember correctly. Once we landed, I started running again."

Emily seemed to sense that I was done. She didn't pry, but instead let me dwell in the silence.

It was exactly what I wanted, exactly what I _needed_ to prevent me from saying anymore.

"I'm sorry," she said at last.

"Don't be," I flinched at the harshness of my tone. "I'm the one dragging you into it."

"The Pack will take care of it. And if they can't the Cullens will. It's kind of a tradition around here." Emily's tentative smile was a peace offering.

"I wish they wouldn't," I sighed as I grabbed the silverware. "Enough people have already been hurt." I thought of Seth then and my body stiffened in response to the thought of him being caught up in this mess. If he were hurt… _God what was wrong with me?_

"Seth would do anything for you," Emily's voice cut off my mental tangent.

I stared at her in disbelief. _How did she do that?_ My thoughts aren't that blatantly obvious…_are they?_

"Just remember that," she smirked at my expression and then her tone became playful. "It may come in handy eventually."

I snapped myself out of it. "Everyone keeps say—

"HONEY I'M HOME!"

The screeching yell cut off my comment and I saw Emily flinch in my peripheral. And then my mind alerted me to the last memory of a screeching yell not a day prior—I started to panic. Before I could even begin to wrap my mind around the possibility of Alice being in La Push, I was tackled by a whirlwind of something…or someone. I didn't even have time to catch myself as me and my attacker clattered to the ground. Silverware went flying adding a tantalizing sound-effect to compliment my head banging against the tiled floor with a _CRACK_.

_Ow_.

As I squinted up at my self-proclaimed linebacker, I realized two distinct things.

The good news: the girl who tackled me was a human. _Thank God_.

The bad news: she was gazing down at me with the most insane smile I had ever seen.

"You." She stated in a surprisingly even tone. "Are not Emily." Her smile grew wider at that. The white of her smile complimenting the dark, curly brown hair framing a pair of shocking green eyes. She made no move to get off me.

"No," I hedged a little unsure and looked to Emily for help. Seeing no use in that act as Emily was currently doubled over in laughter, I turned back to the 120lb weight on my chest, "I'm not."

"Pity," she said and stuck out her hand, which was a feat within itself as both of our elbows were in no position for a handshake. "I'm Cam," she seemed to be sobering from her high.

"Alex," I replied sticking my hand out as far as it could reach and achieving an awkward handshake.

"She's Seth's _friend_," Emily choked out from her laughter and for some reason this made Cam squeal. I really needed to get with the program. _And get some earplugs_.

"Cam!" A distinctly male voice boomed from the hallway causing me to instinctively remove my hand. I couldn't see his face, but I heard his footsteps stop at the kitchen doorway.

"Hey Sweet," Cam replied innocently, turning to face the voice and I caught a glimpse of another Seth-clone. "I was just saying hi to the new girl."

"More like crushing the new girl," the voice came closer and a face appeared over Cam's shoulder. "Hi," he said, "I'm Brady." His smile was exactly like Seth's with a little less innocence. It made me smile in return.

"Alex," I said to him before chancing a glance at Cam who had found something fascinating in the ceiling boards. She looked so entranced that I almost looked. "Mind helping me out here," I begged turning back to Brady.

For some reason that turned his smile wicked. "No problem."

Faster than I could blink, I could breathe again. Propping myself up on my elbows I was met with the amusingly familiar sight of Cam slung over Brady's shoulder. Can't say I didn't pity the girl. _Been there_.

"Brady. Put. Me. Down." Her growl was so much like mine had been. I had a feeling Cam and I were going to get along. I reveled in the prospect of a human acquaintance as I picked myself up and began gathering the splattered silverware. Emily had finally calmed herself down enough and began gathering the forks and spoons that had landed on the counter and wedged in the walls.

"I know what you're thinking," she said. "And no, Cam's not crazy. Brady just has a very energetic im—_girlfriend_."

I laughed and watched as Cam screamed and kicked to no avail. Brady just stood there smiling. _Funny how that happens_.

"Crazy," I repeated, "not quite. Hyper… definitely yes."

"Just a little," Emily countered, "though you really have Brady to blame for that. He knows not to give her sugar."

"Hey!" Brady almost seemed offended as he placed Cam back on her feet. "I did not give her any sugar. I swear!"

"Yah, totally not his fault Em," Cam said as she busied herself by twirling around in circles. "I had a two liter of _Vault_ before he picked me up." She said it so nonchalantly that I could help but let out a chuckle; especially when my eyes found Brady's stunned gaze. I decided to save him.

"A two liter of _Vault_?" I questioned not bothering to hide my amusement. I'd thought they had discontinued it years ago—apparently not. "That's some serious skill. How long did it take you to finish it?" I was truly curious.

"Oh, fifteen minutes," she sat at the table and made a show of examining her nails. "I would have drowned it in two, but I wanted to give the caffeine and sugar time to take effect."

"Smart," Cam was starting to grow on me. "You really should try sugar shots to get the full effects of a sugar-high. They're a lot more effective."

I had honestly never seen someone literally perk up as much as Cam did in that moment. I smirked to myself. It was so easy to divert her attention. I took the seat across from her, dually noting the faint sound of Brady's head hitting the wall repeatedly. Apparently he wasn't looking forward to this.

"_Really_?" Cam asked.

"Really." I smiled, "So you take the _Vault_, add a little _Pixie Sticks_ and _Pop Rocks_ for good measure. Place all of it in a convenient little shot glass and instant sugar rush." I watched as Cam's eyes grew bigger with each ingredient and couldn't help but reminiscence in my childhood pastime. Sugar shots and I were old friends.

"I have to try this," Cam was beyond enthusiastic.

I was all for it.

Brady looked like he wanted to kill me.

"_No_." He came up behind Cam, placing his hand on her shoulders and effectively grabbing her attention. "You don't need any more sugar."

"But _Brady_," Cam whined going into full-out pout mode.

I could tell by the way he looked at her that he adored her. And I could tell by the sigh that followed that he was having a really hard time telling her no. Still I gave him credit for trying.

It took Cam a good five seconds of a clearly practiced sad-face for Brady to cave.

"I give up," he muttered to himself and went over to help Emily pull a particularly stubborn fork out of the wall.

Cam smiled at me. "Oh yes," she beamed, "I'm that talented."

"Clearly," I held out my fist and she bumped it. What can I say? I was feeling cordial today. Cam reminded me of what I used to know and it was nice to return to it. _If only for a little while._

"Well you may just get your wish Cam," we turned our heads to see Emily trifling through the cabinets as Brady attended the fifth batch of chicken. "'Cause I just ran out of the sesame oil and cayenne for the potatoes."

"Sweet!" Cam bounded from her seat and was at the door in a second. "You know what this means?" Her eyes held mine in anticipation, "Road Trip!"

"Uh sorry," I didn't mean to cool her glow, I really didn't, "but I have absolutely no idea why that is so exciting."

"_Because…_" she dragged the word out and sagged her shoulders in that "duh" sort of stance, "the spice store in which Emily finds all of her magnificent ingredients is in Port Angeles. Which I might add, is the only town close by that has the one and only absolutely _Holy _convenient store that just happens to have _Vault_ on sale."

Everything started to make sense. "Two birds with one stone?"

"Precisely," she finished.

"All right," I conceded. "Let's go." And I soon found myself mimicking Cam's beeline for the door. I was in need of some quality human time.

"_Hold it_." Brady's voice brought our escape parade to a halt. "Do you really think I am just going to let you two waltz out of here while there are evil vamps lurking about? In the name of _sugar_ no less? No. _Absolutely not_."

"Bullshit." Cam's abrupt swear startled me. The girl was bipolar. "You and I both know that you just came back from patrol and that there was zilch in the vampire department." Cam had her hands on her hips at this point and was glaring.

It was quite amusing from an outside point of view.

"You're not going by yourself Camila," Brady glared right back. "End of story."

"I'll be there to babysit," I chimed in.

"No offense Alex, but that does not make me feel better." _Werewolves._

"It wasn't meant to make you feel better. I was simply pointing out that your girlfriend won't be alone."

Brady actually growled at that.

Score one for me.

"Let them go Brady," Emily said as she closed the last cabinet in vain. "Port Angeles isn't far and lunch will be ready in no more than two hours."

"Yah, how much trouble can two innocent humans get into in two hours?" Cam was back to pleading.

I mentally smacked myself at the stupidity of her question.

"Do. Not. Answer. That." I cut Brady off before he could begin as I slid my way towards the door.

"Brady let them go," Emily was playing mom now. "I need the supplies and you have the meeting to get to anyway. They'll be in a public place and they'll be together."

I saw Brady hunch in defeat.

"Here girls," I looked up in time to see Emily chuck a cell phone at us. Luckily Cam caught it. "Take this with you so the guys don't have a heart attack."

"Thanks Em!" Cam trotted over to give Brady a peck on the cheek. "Don't worry silly we'll be fine," I heard her say and I took advantage of the distraction to open the door.

The door was open barely a foot when Cam bolted through and out to the driveway. I was starting to rethink the crazy debate. I gave Brady a mock solute and followed after.

* * *

To say the ride to Port Angeles was eventful would be an understatement. I was beginning to see why my babysitting had no effect on Brady's approval. Honestly, I was just glad I was in one piece.

The ride lasted a total fifteen minutes. _Fifteen_. And that was all it took to make myself swear that I would never let Cam drive again.

Regardless of that catastrophe, I still found myself wandering the isles of the apparently god-given convenient store Cam had mentioned. I was surprised to find it was more like a mini _Walmart_ than a simple small-town store. We had already gotten Emily's requests, so Cam was free to literally dash around the entire store in search of her precious _Vault_.

I, on the other hand, decided to be productive and picked my way through the list of necessities I was sure to need while being held captive…_ish_. I really couldn't think of any other explanation for my current living arrangements. _Normal _kidnappers don't give you their credit card to buy supplies with. But then again normal kidnappers aren't supernatural beings either.

The selection was nothing to brag about, but I was never one to care. I had a nice little stash of toiletries under my arm as I made my way through the racks of clothing at the back of the store. Despite my hatred of shopping, one quick look down at Seth's t-shirt and Bella's faded jeans convinced me that I was in need of some back up. And a few extra pairs of clothes couldn't hurt. I could still hear Cam singing in the food isle.

I shook my head at her severely out-of-tune version of _I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts_ and picked a blue shirt off the rack.

"_Hmmm_." The sound was right at my ear, making me jump despite myself.

A sudden breeze at my back alerted me to a presence and I gasped as I felt a hand move across my neck. Stone cold and ever familiar.

"Blue always was your color."

My items clattered to the ground at the sound of his voice. A voice I would once recognize anywhere, but now it was masked by a sickening velvet tone. My body finally reacted and instinctively tried to move away, but he caught me before I got a centimeter, hands moving from my neck down my arms and ending in a tight hold at my wrists. I couldn't move.

"Now Alex, let's not be that way, I've been waiting a _long_ time for this," he whispered in my ear and I felt my feet leave the ground as we made our way to the employee exit at the back of the store. He hadn't lost his touch. Anyone looking our way would see a young couple walking together, not a girl being towed against her will by a vampire.

The afternoon air hit me hard as we came to a halt in the alley outside the store, the overcast sky adding an eerie shadow to the surrounding brick. He let me go then and I turned to find the one person I hoped to never see again.

_Caleb._

* * *

_**Jacob POV**_

The ringing of my cell brought the meeting to an abrupt stop. Normally I would have ignored it, but seeing the number on the Caller ID made me think twice. I met Seth's eyes as I answered.

"Jacob," Alice's voice held an all-too-familiar edge that instantly had me on alert. "We have a problem."

* * *

**^_^U**

**The cliffy was inspired by my ill luck with Eclipse this week. Went to see it twice, both times the movie stopped for a period of time and we had to wait forever for it to continue. Hell the first time the fire alarm went off and we had to leave without seeing the last 15min! GAH.**

**But don't worry I have the next chapter all ready to go—want to know what you guys think of this one first.**

**Thanks for Reading—HV **


	13. Chapter 13

**Since I am a horrid person and forced you guys to wait…the A/N is at the bottom.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_Just gonna stand there and watch me burn  
Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts  
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry  
Well that's alright because I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie_

-_Love the Way You Lie_—Eminem feat. Rihanna

**_Alex POV_**

_Caleb._

There has always been a debate on whether or not vampires had souls. Whether the person they were still remains after the change. Or if the humanity died with the last heartbeat and all that lingered was a stone statue of simmering bloodlust. And as I looked into the eyes of my best friend I couldn't help but to search for the boy he once was.

I never found him.

Everything that he and I shared was erased by the very essence of what he had become. What he had _chosen _to become. The blue eyes that had never held anything but comfort were contorted to an inhuman shade of red. The color was so bright and disturbing that I instinctively looked away. His hair had even changed. The human dullness replaced by an unnatural glow in his cropped dark brown locks. Vampirism had masked him; cloaked him in darkness unfit for a human soul. Being a vampire made his appearance a walking perfection. But I saw nothing perfect.

"I would say you haven't changed," I whispered, allowing my eyes to focus on the alley wall over Caleb's shoulder, refusing to meet his eyes. "But I don't think the irony of that statement could even begin to cover it."

A melodic laugh followed my statement. I flinched at the familiarity of it. It was completely vampire and not one bit human.

"Well, _you_ haven't changed," Caleb mused, "sarcasm first, pleasantries later."

"I'm surprised you remember. Or more that you _care _to remember."

Caleb sighed, already bored with where the conversation was going. I wasn't surprised, we had been here before.

"Don't pull that crap with me Alex, thirteen years are hard to erase." He said, his tone imploring me to look at him.

"You erased them the moment you took human blood." I glared at him then, my eyes meeting the red glow of his.

"Why are you so against it?" His voice took on an edge as he took a step forward.

I refused to move and steeled my tone to cover the unwanted emotions, "Why are you here Caleb?"

That stopped him.

"I would think you would know the answer to that."

"What...did you get bored with your new vampire abilities already? Decided to take up professional stalking instead?"

"Same old Alex, refusing to accept what is right in front of her."

"Oh I've accepted what's in front of me," I seethed and this time it was me taking a step forward. "What's in front of me is a _monster_. A monster who resents what he once was so much that he has to destroy every last glimpse of it before the guilt swallows him whole."

In the next second my back slammed against the alley wall, my skin grinding against the uneven stones. My head exploded in a sickeningly familiar show of stars. I blinked repeatedly only to find Caleb growling in front of me. His hands braced on either side of my face, body pressed against mine. I had to remember he had only been this way for a year, and pushing it was not in my favor. No matter how much he deserved it.

"It had to happen," he snarled, "there was no other option."

"Bullshit Caleb." _OK, so much for not pushing it_. "_Murder_? That was the _only_ option? I find that incredibly hard to believe. Vampires are the masters at disappearing without a trace. Other people—_your family_—shouldn't have to pay the price for that!"

"It was a price that had to be paid." His jaw clenched and I could see the restraint it was taking for him not to crush me into the wall.

"Is that it then—your purpose in life? To kill all your family and friends so you can live the perfect life. Well I guess I know why you're here then…come to finish the job? I am the last one after all, and I'm sure your vamp buds are just _dying_ to get this over with."

Caleb was shaking at this point. "Yes, they've wanted you dead for a while. That's why we've been on this damn escape for the past month." His eyes flashed with an emotion I never thought I would see again. And for a moment I had the old Caleb back.

"You can't do it can you?" It came out in a whisper and I caught the slight slump in his posture before it disappeared into vampire stone. My eyes narrowed. "I was supposed to burn to death with my family in that godforsaken house…and God I wish I did."

Caleb's eyes hardened, his expression returning to ice and erasing that last image of my childhood friend. "No, you didn't die. We thought you did and then you surprise us by showing up out of the blue."

"So sorry to inconvenience you," I scoffed. And I felt Caleb back off ever so slightly, his body leaning away from mine.

"I don't understand you Alex. There's another way and you refuse to see it." He caught my eye. "Forget about the past and consider what I am offering."

"Forget? God Caleb, you want me to _forget_." This time my eyes flashed—long buried feelings surfaced—and I pushed against him defiantly. "You were there were you not? Did you hear them screaming? The flames consuming every last bit of them before they died. Did you smell it? The burnt flesh, the blood. Or maybe fire isn't your taste. That's right, you prefer car crashes. Seemingly innocent accidents that could happen to anyone. But it wasn't an accident, was it? It was all planned."

I was breathing heavily at the memory of the scene. And I could sense that Caleb was fighting it as well. I continued nonetheless.

"The distraction in the middle of the road. The car flipping as it collided with the metal railing. Sheet metal tearing limbs. Skin grating against concrete. Bodies crushed under hundreds of pounds of metal and rubber. Your baby sister crying in the backseat while the life slowly drained from her! Were you there? Did you see it all happening? Did it make you feel good that every ounce of the life you had was destroyed in thirty seconds?"

At the mention of Kayla something snapped in Caleb and I once again found myself crushed against the wall. His hands grasped my shoulders in a bruising grip.

"This," his right arm waved down his frame, "is what we wanted. This is what we _dreamed_ about Alex. And now, when I finally have it, you shun me." He raised his eyes in question but continued when my glare didn't waver. I was disgusted with how easily he could change the topic. How easily he could forget.

"I didn't _dream_ about killing people." I seethed.

"I'm a vampire. The strength," I jumped as his fist suddenly blew a hole in the stone wall, "the speed," I felt a rush of wind as I was vaulted off the wall and then he was right behind me. "I'm indestructible Alex," he breathed in my ear. "And the immortality…it's all I ever wanted, all _we_ ever wanted." His arm came around my waste, holding me in place. Not that my body would move even if I wanted it to. But I refused to listen to his tirade.

"All you need is a cloak and a Darth Vader mask and you'd be set for the evil-doer role." My body couldn't move, but my sarcasm was still intact.

Caleb growled and tightened his hold. If it were any other vampire, I would have been intimidated. But this was Caleb. Even if I didn't want to believe it, I knew him like the back of my hand. And I knew he wasn't going to try anything. Not yet. I forced myself to believe that.

I froze as I felt his mouth skim along my jaw line, moving down my throat. The coldness made my bruises sting as I felt him inhale at my collarbone.

"I see Daniel did a number on your neck," I flinched despite myself as his fingers grazed the bruises. "Pity he didn't finish the job."

"Why don't you finish it for him," I spat.

"Now Alex, you know that would be far too easy," I felt him grin against my neck. "And the boys are having a bit too much fun conspiring against your werewolves as it is."

I stiffened at the mention of the Pack.

"Oh yes, we know all about them. I'll admit I was a bit put out at first. My best friend hanging out with _werewolves_ of all the mythical creatures…the vampire girl turned wolf girl." He chuckled, but his tone held no humor. "It will make things interesting to say the least."

"They are not _my_ wolves," I pushed against his hold, but instead he turned me to face him. I continued; our faces two inches from each other. "They don't even like me Caleb, so leave them out of this."

"Bartering weaknesses again?" He mocked.

"I don't have any weaknesses to bargain," I retorted. "You destroyed them all. Or don't you remember? Has the blood fogged your brain that much?"

Caleb ignored the comment and shook his head. "Don't lie to me Al. I can smell it on you. And trust me it is a stench I would like to forget." He leaned in again, inhaling against my breastbone.

I stiffened as he lifted his head suddenly, a curious expression gracing his features.

"Hmmmm," he purred to himself. "It seems I missed something." He sniffed again. "Yes, it's definitely there, beneath the stench." A wicked smile replaced the curiosity. "Well, well Alex, I never thought…you of all people…" he broke off in a chuckle. "Mated at seventeen…what would your mother say?"

At the mention of my mother my hand shot out on its own accord—a defensive reaction I had never been able to stop. Caleb caught my attack seconds before it met its mark. My hand lingered in his grasp not a centimeter from his face.

"What are you talking about?" I growled, my lingering anger taking over.

This just seemed to amuse Caleb even more. "You mean you don't know?" He was taunting me now. "Well of course you don't, you have been a little slow lately Al. Perhaps you should ask that wolf of yours?"

My eyes widened a fraction. _Seth_.

"Yes, I know all about him too. That little fur ball that follows your every move," Caleb's eyes hardened in contempt. "That is one task of Daniel's that I will not hesitate to finish."

A protectiveness I wasn't even aware of had my arm straining against Caleb's hold.

"Hit a mark have I?" He laughed again as he flung my arm backwards, the force of it sending me sliding across the alley floor.

"Leave him be Caleb, he has nothing to do with this." I gasped, pulling myself up onto my elbows.

"I beg to differ Al, but I'll give you a chance to prove me wrong." He leered.

My eyebrows rose in question.

Caleb opened his mouth to continue as a harsh squealing cut him off. His mouth clamped shut, lips forming a tight line as his head snapped in the direction of the sound. My eyes followed his down to the opening of the alley. A glint of silver caught my eye.

"It seems I have underestimated you again Al," Caleb spoke through clenched teeth. "Your charisma with the supernatural races does not stop with the mutts." He sighed and turned to me. "No matter," he began as he edged his way behind me toward the back end of the alley.

"Caleb," I began, not knowing what else to say.

"Let's see how this little situation plays out," he said as he slipped into the shadows. "After all, you being my best friend, I guess I owe you some time to consider your life before I take it away."

I didn't miss the threat.

"And just for kicks, I'll leave you and your little pet alone," he paused for a moment in mock consideration, "anyone else, however, is free game."

Caleb paused at the edge of the alley, giving one last glance in my direction.

"I've chosen my side Alex," his voice floated like a caress through the shadows of the alley. "It's time for you to choose yours."

And with that he was gone.

I couldn't stop my mind from longing for what once was. Every rational fiber of my being told me it was useless and that there was nothing I could do to change him. Nothing I could do to get my best friend back. I let my head rest against the alley floor, my eyes closing in an attempt to focus my mind on what just happened. There were too many details, too many unsaid things for me to even care about anything else.

Which is precisely why when an ice-cold hand touched my arm, I screamed bloody murder.

My eyes burst opened to find a figure looming over me—you would think vampires would pick a new stance to scare the shit out of people with—I mean really this is what?...the second time this has happened in the past week.

"If I were human," a velvet voice answered, "I would quite possibly be deaf due to your sudden outburst. And as for the scaring-the-shit-out-of-someone stance, well, I really don't know how to tally that one."

I could hear the smile in the voice and it didn't take a genius to figure out who it was. I sighed and returned to my slumped position.

"What do you want Edward?"

"Alice called," my confused look must have made him reconsider. "Did we not mention that Alice can see the future?" Edward added.

I started banging my head back against the concrete. _Well that explained a lot_.

"Yes well…" Edward trailed off and gave me a look as I continued to pound my head but decided to leave me be.

_Smart boy. _

"Apparently she saw a glimpse of your little reunion and sent Bella and I to intervene. Though it seems as if we won't be needed," Edward's voice hardened toward the end.

_I take it you heard everything then?_

"As close to everything at the moment," he sighed and grabbed my arm gently, pulling me into a sitting position. "We were only a few miles away so I got the gist of it, though it did not become clear until we got closer."

_But you heard what he planned? _I was too tired to speak out loud.

"Yes, I heard it. I heard the threats as well," he gave me a pointed look. "Jasper won't be happy to know that we blew the element of surprise."

_It's me they want, as always. You give them me and your problem is solved._

"We've had this conversation Alex, it's not an option. We're experienced in this type of obstacle, trust me, we can handle it."

By the look on his face I believed him._ At least for now._

"Come on," he said as he grabbed my upper arms and pulled me to my feet.

I hissed in protest—I felt like a walking bruise. Edward gave me a look of sympathy that I was not in the mood for. I responded by blocking my thoughts.

He sighed that sigh again. "Let's get you back to La Push before Seth throws a fit."

The mention of Seth perked me up. And I gave Edward a questioning glance.

"Alice called Jacob as well," Edward filled in the gaps. "Needless to say, when Seth heard what was going on he—

Edward stopped mid-sentence, but I didn't need him to finish.

"He freaked out didn't he?" I asked the obvious.

The nod in conformation did nothing to help my mood.

I groaned as I reached the door of a silver Volvo—that explained the glint from earlier. The last thing I needed was an overprotective, freaked-out werewolf. Add that to a revenge-ridden, evil best friend and you've got a lovely summer cocktail to drown yourself in.

_Shit._

I all but threw myself into the backseat, which I instantly regretted when I came face to face with Cam. My face attempted to give a smile, but I gave up quickly when I saw the look on her face. If I were being completely honest, if I wasn't so happy to see her alive, I would have bolted back out the door.

"I have to say that was an interesting sense of déjà vu," Bella's chime came from the driver's seat, effectively distracting me from my hostile companion. "I always wondered what it felt like for you the last time," she seemed amused as she directed her statement at Edward as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"I assure you Love," he returned, "it was not in the least bit fun for me, nor is it for me to remember it."

"I don't know Edward," Bella mused, "driving like a madman was quite fun. It's a shame I didn't get to drive the car at them like you did."

I admit this made me a little nervous as to who was driving the car at the moment.

"With all due respect Bella, if you would have rammed my car into a vampire I would have never forgiven you." Edward's mood seemed to darken.

"Edward!" Bella actually seemed appalled.

"What?" Edward feigned exasperation, "You would have at the bare minimum dented the car and I assure you she doesn't deserve it."

"_She?_..." Bella rolled her eyes, "Good lord Edward, it's a car."

Poor Edward seemed to be forgetting the wives before cars rule.

"This _car_," Edward retorted, "saved your life."

At this point they were both glaring at each other and I had no choice but to intervene.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I stated, grabbing their attention. "You've done this before?"

I took their serious expressions as a _yes_.

"So you two make a habit out of stunt-driving a silver Volvo on the way to randomly save peoples' lives?" I couldn't hide my flabbergastation.

Edward broke first, "When Bella was human she had a run in with some _vermin_," he seemed to be editing. "I drove the Volvo to pick her up."

"That was the night I found out Edward was a vampire," Bella finished. "He saved me and my life hasn't been the same ever since."

I didn't really know where to go with this. "So what…you were pretty much stalking her, waited for her to get in trouble, and then swooped in like a knight in shining Volvo?"

"Pretty much," Bella smiled.

"What is it with this family's crazy fetish with saving people?" I muttered to myself. _God they need a new hobby._

Bella and Edward just chuckled, seemingly content with each other again. I ignored them, returning my attention to my backseat companion.

"You look like shit," Cam deadpanned as she took in my surely haggard appearance.

I internally flinched and opted for looking out the window as Bella drove back towards un-civilization.

"Fine," she continued, "you can ignore me all you want, but the next time an evil vamp comes and tries to kill you, will you at least scream so I know what the hell is going on." Her voice stayed so calm that I looked back at her.

"I didn't want you involved," the instant I said it, I regretted it.

Cam's mask fell for a split second in remorse. I sighed.

"Let me rephrase that," I cleared my throat, "I didn't want you getting hurt."

"God you sound just like Brady," she scoffed.

"Oh no," I groaned. I had totally forgotten about the other overprotective werewolf. "Brady is going to _kill _me."

"Precisely," Cam grinned.

_Crap._

"I'm sorry Cam," I said sincerely.

She seemed to soften. "It's OK," she started, "I understand why you did it, and not to mention that getting abducted by an evil vamp doesn't really give time for great strategic planning."

I laughed, "No. It doesn't."

"But seriously," she caught my eye, "we need to think up a signal or something, a code, anything… so that next time we can at least warn each other and call for back-up."

"Agreed."

"I mean," Cam was almost back to her old self again. "I may be a scrawny human, but at the very least I could have gone to the hardware department and gotten a flame-thrower."

Scratch my previous observance: Cam was definitely back.

"They have flame-throwers in small town convenient stores?" I didn't know whether to be appalled, intrigued, or to laugh my ass off.

"If you know where to look," she saw my gaze and smiled, "it's really simple, you just point and shoot."

I shook my head at her serious expression, "Remind me never to piss you off."

She patted my head like I was a dog, "Good girl."

I glared at her and got a small glimpse of what Brady must go through every day. The thought made me shiver.

"So…" I attempted to keep the good mood. "Did you get your _Vault_?"

She instantly perked up. "Yah," she grinned maniacally, "Ness helped me get the rest of the ingredients for the sugar shots and OH!" Cam reached for the bags at her feet. "We also picked up your things that you ceremoniously scattered across the entire store." She gestured in mock annoyance.

I glanced at the supplies, but the beginning of her rant caught my attention.

"Ness?" I questioned.

"That would be me," a smooth chime echoed from the seat beside Cam.

I looked around her to find the most beautiful teenage girl I had ever seen. At what I would guess to be thirteen, she had smooth, pale skin and a figure that a girl of that age shouldn't even begin to have. A heart-shaped face and a set of deep brown eyes were accompanied by perfect bronze hair that looked just like…

_Hold it._

My eyes instantly found Edward's in the front seat. The next two minutes consisted of my gaze darting from Edward, to Ness, to Bella, back to Edward, back to Ness…

_No way._

"I see your observance has returned," Edward said with a chuckle.

Ness ignored him. "I'm Renesmee," she said. "But everyone calls me Ness, or Nessie, or Ren." She smiled and my mouth gaped. "My name is kind of a handful so feel free to shorten it."

"Nice to meet you," I all but choked out as I leaned back in my seat, using Cam to block my view of my _other_ backseat companion.

_Holy shit. Was it even possible?_

_..._

_OK Alex don't go there._

I am going to kill Seth. Wolf-boy could have at least mentioned this one.

_Oi._

"Stop the car!" I said it so suddenly that I was surprised when Bella actually stopped.

"Uh Alex," Cam studied me warily.

"Excuse me," I said as I wrenched open the door. I was surprised I had held it together that long.

"Alex!" Edward called as I stomped toward the woods that bordered the road. "Where are you going?" He didn't sound mad just…exasperated.

"I need some air!" I returned, not evening bothering to turn my head in his direction as I continued my march. I soon regretted it as I slammed into a cold wall of vampire flesh.

I glared up at Edward. _You._ I thought. _Have some explaining to do._

"Yes," he replied, "I do, however, now is not the ti—

Edward stopped and whipped his head to our right, his expression hard in concentration. After a minute it turned relieved as I heard rustling in the trees.

I stood still waiting, already knowing who was coming. I wasn't disappointed as a large russet wolf came through the trees flanked by a leaner grey wolf. If I had to guess I would bet money the grey was Leah—females tend to be slightly smaller and I knew Jacob wouldn't leave her behind.

"She's all yours Jacob," Edward called to the tree-line. "I'll warn you though; she's in one of her moods." He smiled at me and turned toward the Volvo.

_Asshole._

That was about the moment I heard Cam running towards us. When you're surrounded by supernaturals, human footsteps are easy to identify. It's actually kind of sad I can do that.

Jacob must have said something because Edward stopped and nodded, "Cam go back to the car," he told her as she came to a stop next to me. "Bella and I will take you back to Emily's."

"_Hell no_," she said crossing her arms defiantly. I snickered at her expression. "Last time I left this nut job alone all hell broke loose."

"Hey!" I was not appreciative of her description.

"It's true," she said and turned her attention back to the wolves.

I saw Leah roll her eyes. Jacob, on the other hand, seemed distracted.

"What?" I questioned, but Jacob just stared and shook his head.

Edward gave a laugh and in a flash he was gone.

That's when I heard it. Growling. Times two. Coming from behind me.

"_Shit_," Cam cursed as we slowly turned toward the sound.

I quickly followed her sentiments as my eyes landed on two very pissed off werewolves. The growling had stopped now that they had our attention—but the glares—yah, those were still full throttle.

Two could play that game.

"Seth." I stated coolly, my eyes coming to rest with his hazels. We stared for a good five minutes before he huffed and came towards me, fur brushing against my side. I shivered at the change in temperature.

I glanced at Jake out of the corner of my eye, "I take it you two failed in the stopping-them-from-freaking-out category?"

Jacob grunted and returned his attention to the Volvo—for some odd reason.

I heard another growl and looked towards Cam's predicament. She was currently in a stand-off with a dark brown, borderline bay wolf. Its coat was so dark, it was almost black, but the brown tints shimmered in the light. Its eyes however, I recognized.

"I take it that's Brady," it came out as a statement.

"That's Brady," she returned without taking her gaze off his. "And he is not happy right now."

"Obviously," I noted.

I felt a push against my back and turned to find Seth shoving me back towards the Volvo. He caught my look of confusion and shoved again. I nearly did a face plant.

"I'm not going back to that car Seth," I told him and I felt the rumble of a growl through his fur.

I jumped as Edward appeared to my right.

"They want you to drive back with us," he started but from the look on his face I figured he already knew we weren't going to comply.

"How far are we from La Push Edward?" Cam questioned suddenly and I looked to see Brady lying down at her feet.

"You're actually on Quileute land," Edward provided, "but it's a ways away to Emily's."

"Good," I stated and walked around Seth towards Jacob and Leah. "I'm in the mood for a walk."

Seth of course was having none of this and literally matched me step-for-step. Not that I expected him to be lenient after what happened with Caleb. He didn't seem bothered my walking towards the woods though, so I trudged on.

I heard crunching to my right and turned to find Cam—though I had to do a double-take as she seemed to grow three feet. It took me a second to realize that she was riding on Brady's back. _OK…I have officially seen it all._

She laughed at my expression. "You may feel like a walk," she said, "but I am tired. Therefore, I choose to cheat. Besides, he won't let me out of his sight for the next day or two," she glared down a Brady's fur. "So this satisfies both of us."

"_Right_." I said disbelief coloring my tone.

I took the time to notice as well that Leah was trotting ahead of us and Jacob was at our flank. _Good lord. I had my own werewolf brigade._

"Great," I muttered, "just what I needed, a werewolf family field trip into the abyss of Alex's mind." I couldn't help the eye roll.

"You're welcome," Cam said as Brady dashed to follow Leah. I had no clue how she held on to him at that speed.

I felt Seth nudge my arm and turned to find him staring at me. I knew exactly what he wanted.

"_No_," I said. There was absolutely no way I was climbing on top of him.

He whined in return.

"Let me think," came my sarcastic musing, "climb on the back of a werewolf who I just recently ticked off and therefore putting him in complete and utter control of where we go and what we do."

I turned and met Seth's eyes again, "I think not."

* * *

**A/N:**

**I am SO SORRY this took so long. I wasn't lying last chapter when I said I had it ready to go, but then I kept second guessing it and ended up rewriting the entire thing. I just wanted to get it perfect—SORRY! THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! I realized the other day that I had never thanked you guys for all the feedback and support, so I am thankin' you now.**

**-I'm trying to update as soon as the chapters pop out of my head, but school is making it difficult (Engineering is not a story-friendly major)-can you say exams? lol.**

****NOTICE: Yes, I realize that some of you are getting multiple emails saying that Ch.13 has been added...sorry, I had to take it off and reload it multiple times. I had some of my readers saying that FF wasn't cooperating and that the chapter wasn't showing up.**

**-Thanks for sticking with me guys and I just unloaded a huge amount of plot from my shoulders so some reviews would be nice- feedback helps more than you guys realize.  
**

**-Thanks for Reading—HV **


	14. Chapter 14

**I'M BACK! ****A/N at the bottom guys :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

* * *

_Would someone care to classify  
Our broken hearts and twisted minds  
So I can find someone to rely on  
And run to them, to them  
Full speed ahead_

-_Misguided Ghosts_—Paramore

**_Alex POV_**

POUND.

THROB.

SCRATCH.

POUND. POUND.

THROB.

SCCRRAATTCCHH.

You know you've had a bad day when your mental stability has drifted so far into the deep end that it is making up percussion beats to your ailments. Everything was synchronized, the throbbing of my countless bruises—really more like my entire body, the pounding in my head, and the slight drag of my left leg every time I took a step. And to be perfectly honest, it was quite a catchy tune.

It had taken me about a mile, but I finally managed to let my mind go blank. After that I blocked out everything. No more Caleb, no more evil revenge tangents, no more Edward, no more Nessie, no more Cam, no more wolves…scratch that, there was still one of those. At least that's what I think my left side is leaning against at the moment. _Ok mind, you're blank, not stupid_. Of course Seth was still there. It's not like I could ignore him, not when he's this close. I had become almost hyper aware of him in our short time together, I didn't even need to see him…I just _knew_.

And it was starting to freak me out.

I shook my head to try to scatter the feelings away but no matter how hard I tried they kept adding together in an equation that I could not even begin to understand. It escalated to one point; the only point that had managed to infiltrate my mental blocks. The one little detail that Caleb just couldn't leave alone:

_Mated at seventeen_.

Mated? Me? I felt my eyes roll on their own accord. No, not possible. First off, it doesn't work that way, not even with supernaturals. You don't just look at someone and go, "POOF! I am your soul mate MUAHAHAHA fear me—love me!" Ok, so maybe that was a little overboard but my mental intelligence has deflated for the day so sue me. But all that aside, it's a process. Love at first sight doesn't exist. It scientifically can't.

Take the particularly fuzzy specimen to my left. Werewolves choose mates based off the survival of the species. It's quite simple: the strong mate with the strong to better and maintain the bloodlines. Vampires are special of course and it's not because of their sparkles. They can actually afford to be selfish and lovey-dovey. After all, "mating" in their terms is simply finding someone whom they can tolerate for eternity. Werewolves are a little more animalistic so to speak.

So the fact that my formerly-good-turned-evil best friend was suggesting that I am mated to Seth of all people is about as plausible as Satan making snow cones. A strong match my ass. I'm a stray he picked up in the woods not someone of fantastic native bloodline that will produce bomb-proof werewolf babies. Hell, the two of us are so complete opposites that if for some impossible reason the werewolf species depended on us…well let's just say Seth would maybe last a day before I killed him.

Conclusion: my evil best friend is an asshole who likes messing with me.

I let out a long sigh. This was one seriously fucked up situation. Here I am fresh out of a showdown with my all-but-deranged past. A showdown in which evil vampires pretty much threatened to kill me, and the one thing I'm dwelling on is whether or not I have the prospect of an eternal boyfriend?

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

Seth's abrupt stop sent me toppling to my left. I didn't even try to stop myself as my side made hard contact with the forest floor. It was just way too much energy to even attempt to get up. So I just closed my eyes and lay there. Breathing… I think.

"Hmmmm," I cracked my eyes open to find Cam perched over me. "I give you a solid eight out of ten for formation… the landing, however, needs some work."

I snorted in response.

"Do you want me to help you up or are you content in your awkwardness?" The smirk on her face told me she already knew my answer.

"Content, thank you," I said in mock politeness and closed my eyes again.

"Fair enough," she retorted and I could feel her walking around me. "But I do feel somewhat responsible so I had to ask. It was Brady's fault Seth stopped so technically speaking we made you make out with the leaves."

She was rambling. If I had to bet I would almost say it was on purpose. Like she knew I had no energy to respond, so she might as well keep going. _Creepy._

"I mean Jacob stopped, so Leah stopped, then Brady stopped and it's this stupid pack thing that they play damn follow the leader. But apparently they don't 'cause Jake and Leah just took off to God knows where, but if I had to guess I'd say that went to rendezvous with Edward to discuss you're impossibly complicated predicament which inadvertently means that they trust in these two's ability to get us home safely _way too much_ for my liking and—

"Cam," I spoke with just enough volume to get her attention but my mind was still reeling with her tangential masterpiece. I met her gaze, "I get it."

"Thank God," she huffed. "I didn't know how much more air I had to keep that damn thing going." She let out a whoosh of breath from her teeth and plopped next to a particularly tall tree.

"It was quite impressive though," I chuckled and felt Seth lay down behind me. His warmth pressed to my backside. The contact was making me drowsy.

"Noted," Cam smiled. "Soooo…"

She drew the word out in such a way that I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Yes, oh master of transitions?" My question was met by her half-hearted glare.

"Haha I am so talented, but alas there are more important things." She put a hand to her forehead dramatically and paused for good measure before unleashing a full-out glare, "Like for instance, what the hell is going on?"

As a last effort I hefted my body to the right and turned my back to my overly-enthusiastic companion.

"Smooth," I heard her grumble. "Fine then, you leave me no choice."

One intake of breath later and I was met with the most earsplitting version of _Poker Face_ that even Lady GaGa herself would have keeled over. Brady actually howled in response.

"Okay! Okay!" I screamed over the noise, my hands clamped to my ears for good measure.

The nonsense stopped.

"Ah, so you have figured out resistance is futile?" Cam mused as she sat crossed-legged in front of me.

"Just so you know," I groaned as I pulled myself into a sitting position, "you are a horrid person. Taking advantage of my depleted mental state and all."

"Thank you," she said and I rolled my eyes again. "After all, I had to strike while the chance was there. It's not every day that Seth can get away with making you face-plant. You cuddling up to him instead of whacking him upside the head gave me just enough leeway to manipulate you into my clutches." Cam tapped her fingers together in that evildoer way as her mouth set into a wide Cheshire cat grin.

I shook my head before closing my eyes and telling them exactly what had happened between Caleb and I that afternoon.

"So long story short," my eyes popped open at Cam's voice though I found nothing but leaves in front of me. "Your best friend was turned into a vamp and now he wants to kill you to rid himself of the ghosts from Christmases past?"

"Pretty much," I said as I leaned back into Seth.

I was a little worried about how my overprotective guard dog would take the series of events, but he had been surprisingly silent throughout the whole thing. No growls or snarls just complete silence. And if I were completely honest, it freaked me out more than if he had blown a casket.

"Well," this time I placed her voice and my head shot up to see her dangling a good fifteen feet up a tree. "At least you know he will be sentimental about killing you," Cam insisted as she started swinging from the branch more forcefully.

I gaped. A fall from that height… Well, it would hurt to say the least. I heard crunching and turned to find Brady in a similar state of panic. His giant wolf head rocked back and forth with each of Cam's swings. Seth had even perked up enough to watch.

"How's that?" I questioned not taking my eyes off of her form.

"He's your best friend right?" She said as she swung and hooked her calves above her. Now she at least had four limbs attaching her to the tree. But there was the small detail that she was now upside down.

"For arguments sake, sure, he's my best friend," I hedged carefully.

"Then he still has some deep, dark, locked-away feelings for you. _Therefore_," she emphasized as she let her arms go and Brady just about died, "Caleb won't kill you just because he can. He'll kill you will some feeling, some purpose. And at least that's better than the alternative."

I honestly couldn't tell if this reasoning made me feel any better. _Was it supposed to?_

"Hey Cam?" I questioned at her dangling form, desperate to change the subject.

"Yes, Grasshopper?"

"Could you, oh I don't know, come down?" I sighed as her swinging slowed and I turned my eyes to her wolf. "Preferably before Brady has a heart attack?"

"Sure." She said it with such conviction that my brain registered one single thought.

_That was way too easy._

My head snapped up and before I could blink Cam was plummeting to the ground.

And right into Brady.

I hadn't even registered what happened before I found my body sprinting over to the two tangled bodies, Seth right behind me. We stopped and gazed at the sight. Neither one of us had a clue as to what to do.

A weird chorus of hysterical laughter and growling filled the air and I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized that Cam was at least still alive. From what I could gather from their current position it looked as if she had hit Brady right in the stomach. And unfortunately for him, said stomach had acted as a safety net. It was a good thing he was supernaturally durable. Cam on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing.

I glanced at Seth and saw his muscles tense in anticipation. His eyes never left Brady and I found my eyes following and they widened at the sight. Brady was livid. His face contorted in an emotion so potent that I wondered right then if this would be the last time I would see Cam alive.

"Uh, Cam…" I tried to get her attention all the while keeping my eyes on Brady.

Without warning he flipped. Literally. One moment Cam is lying haphazardly across him and the next Brady is pinning her to the ground with such force that I thought for sure he had hurt her.

"Brady!" I shouted, trying to distract him. A part of me knew he wouldn't hurt her, that he couldn't hurt her. But no matter how you twisted it, seeing someone pinned underneath a snarling thousand pound wolf sends just a slight jolt of panic through your system.

Seth moved in front of me then, slanting his body to use as a barricade between me and Brady. My eyes fell to Cam and every ounce of laughter had left her face and was replaced by something close to shock as she blinked up at her enraged werewolf.

For a long moment no one moved. We stood frozen, the only sound being that of Brady's growls. And suddenly it stopped. The silence was so complete that I chanced a glance around in wonder. Nothing moved, not even the trees swayed in the wind. My eyes fell back to the couple before us. Brady had stopped growling, but his breathing was still erratic. Cam had shaken herself out of the shock enough to grab his attention with her hand grasping the fur near his chest.

"I'm sorry."

It was so serious, so blatant, that I could not believe it had come from Cam. All her previous good-natured hyperness, all her comedy, was broken by that one sentence and for once I saw a glimpse of the Cam I was sure no one but Brady knew. The words broke the eerie calm and settled things back to normal. Seth and I breathed a collective sigh of relief as Brady stared her down for a few more seconds then moved off of her. I moved to help her up.

"I believe that's Brady 1, Cam 0," I chuckled without humor as I hoisted her upright.

She looked up at the branch she had perched on not three minutes before as she spoke, "I guess that wasn't the smartest idea." Her eyes shifted to Brady's form beside her.

"No, not really," I smirked at her returning glare. "_But_," I emphasized to grab her attention, "it was incredibly amusing. I thought for sure he was going to kill you, or at least maim you."

"Nah," Cam gave a noncommittal wave and I could see some of her humor returning. "It takes a lot more than an infuriated puppy to finish me off."

Brady rumbled a growl.

Cue Cam's return.

I smirked as she ruffled the fur behind Brady's ear before she hopped up onto his back. _Not this again_. My eyes rolled on their own accord. I started when Seth suddenly appeared in front of me. Waiting. _Déjà vu? I think yes_.

"Cam," I whined like a two year old.

"Alex do not make me force you," that evil glint was back, "or better yet," she mused, "don't make me make Seth force you."

I eyed the wolf in front of me and could have sworn he smirked wickedly in response.

_Damnit_.

"Fine." I consented, not seeing any way out.

As I eased closer to Seth, I tried to reason with myself. I liked speed. I had no problem with going fast. In fact, I had no problem with the riding part either. I used to ride horses, so it shouldn't be that different. Just lower and longer strides… and it was Seth. Some part of me knew he wouldn't throw me on purpose. But it was still a trust issue, which was utterly absurd. It was that stupid exercise where you fall back into your partner's arms and trust them to catch you. Except in this case your partner was a huge ass wolf with supernatural powers. I sighed. I had never been good at trust.

Almost as if reading my mind, Seth craned his head and nudged my arm. My eyes locked with his. I saw the same thing that I always saw. The thing he had been trying to get me to do since I first met him.

_Trust me_.

I took a breath and vaulted myself up onto his back.

* * *

**Phew! Ok, so that took a little longer than I expected. I was going to lay down a heavy imprinting chapter on you guys but I figured what the hell I feel like some comedy instead.**

**And I want to THANK ALL OF MY REVIEWERS for their wonderful support and patience this past month. The pony is happy now and everything is sound and the way it should be :)**

**Hope you guys liked the Cam/Brady fiasco. I had fun with it *evil smirk***

**Thanks for reading!—HV **

****That button is looking a little blue—I think it needs some lovin'****


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: What I learned: Two jobs leave absolutely NO TIME to write. My deepest apologies—hopefully, this makes up for it.**

_A special thanks to Taylor Swift and her album Speak Now. No joke… I don't have that album, this chapter doesn't get written and the story doesn't continue._

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

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_**Alex POV**_

I had survived. That was the simple way to put it. It had been nearly three weeks since Caleb's appearance and I was yet again knee deep in Pack stupidity. Don't get me wrong, they were actually a pretty tolerable group—_sometimes_… OK, yah it's a stretch. But it was nights like these where I really began to question the brain size of werewolves.

Bonfire Night.

Apparently it was the only ounce of socialization in La Push. The baffling part was that it was mostly Pack members, you know the ones who saw and spoke to each other on a daily basis anyway so there really shouldn't be any need to officially gather and party. You'd think they would get bored of one another. _Scratch that_. They do get bored of one another. It was one of many things that I learned at my first bonfire two weeks ago.

_Rule number one: Buddy System._

Last time the boys got so bored that they decided it would be entertaining to mess with the new girl (take a wild guess at who she was). I was so entranced by the Quileute legends that I didn't even notice Paul sneak up behind me until he had thoroughly kidnapped me. I had to hand it to him, he timed it perfectly with Seth away getting food and Cam beach-walking with Brady. The others simply waved it off as Paul being Paul. I, of course, was perfectly fine with this. After all, my favorite pastime has always been being hung upside down against a tree trunk with nothing but duct tape and gum. Yep, you heard me. The gum was Embry's idea. He thought sticking it to my hands and feet gave the prank a certain "flair". _Idiot_. Jared, Quil, Collin, and Paul opted for duct tape as the garland for actually sticking me to the tree trunk. Though I am almost _positive _the entire plan was Paul's brainchild. An _initiation_ as he had mocked later.

_Rule number two: Never give duct tape to werewolves._

I was surprised at how much tape it took, but then again they were men. They were going to do it the long and hard way, no matter what you said. Once I was completely and utterly stuck to the tree, upside down, with blood flowing to my head, they left me there. I mean come on guys… did you really expect anything else? Didn't think so. Oh! And did I mention it was in the middle of the woods? Note the sarcasm. It took Seth an hour to find me, which was about thirty minutes too late. I was already seeing black by then. Luckily he managed to free my head enough to set me somewhat upright while he and Brady worked to release the rest of me. I slowly regained consciousness, and they slowly tore away the tape and gum. All in all it took another two hours.

To say I had held a grudge would be an understatement.

Most of them were easy enough to deal with. Embry awoke to an entire house full of chewed gum wads the other day. It took us forever to chew all that gum. But the look on his face was totally worth it. He's still scraping gum off the walls. The rest I left to Seth. They should have never let me pass out that night. Seth had no problem jabbing that particular nail into their coffins. At first I thought it was just because the boys left me tied to a tree…

Alone.

In the middle of a vampire-infested forest.

Because in my book that is definitely the more important of the happenings…

People pass out all the time, no big deal. In accordance with werewolf-land however, it seems my perceptions of a _big deal _are a little off kilter. It turns out that Seth is extremely overprotective. Shocker, I know. He may not be the most confrontational, but he's a hell of a strategist when he wants to be. The guy has quite an arsenal in Jake and Leah when they let him use it. Seriously, it was one of the scariest things I have ever seen. With Jake and Leah on the same warpath… Jared, Collin, and Quil got the message pretty quickly. Paul was the only one left. And I still haven't gotten the bastard.

I glared through the flames at my opponent. He was totally obliviously to my attempts to melt him into a puddle of goo. Maybe he would melt like that crazy green chick in _The Wizard of Oz._

I still kick myself for not seeing it coming. It's Paul for God's sake. From the first day we met we had been at ends—a common occurrence for Paul, I'm told. Yet I had felt almost a mutual agreement of dislike. I guess mutual agreements don't prevent childlike outbursts from the locals.

Needless to say, a plot was in order.

"Watcha doin'?"

The familiar voice brought me out of my glare-fest with Paul. I turned to my right to see Claire perched on the log beside me. She was glaring across the fire as well, no doubt joining in my feelings of demise for Paul.

"Plotting." I huffed as I set my head on my hands, eyes still dancing with the flames.

"Can I help?" She was trying so hard to hide the eagerness in her voice that I couldn't help but smile.

Claire was one of the few besides Cam that I had actually come to adore. As far as I was concerned she was a twenty-four year old in an eight year old body. And while that could be drop-shit scary at times, I loved the girl to death. She reminded me so much of Kayla. Plus her ways of demeaning Quil never ceased to completely amuse me. The weird thing was he would just take it. No questions asked. Repeatedly.

She once got him in a full-on pageant queen outfit, complete with makeup, crown, blonde wig, and wonder bra. He didn't complain at all and floated around the house pretending to be Miss Congeniality. All that, just so Claire could show me what she could get him to do. That was the point where I realized three things.

A) I liked this girl.

B) Never leave her and Cam alone together.

C) Nearly _all _of the La Push Pack are whipped. And not in a good way.

I was impressed. And just a little intimidated.

"Of course you can," I turned my attention back to current events. "What would my evil plots be without the input of my favorite minion?" I smiled down at her and she matched my wicked grin perfectly.

Like I said… _Scary_.

"So what's the main idea? Pranking, maiming, _torturing_…" Claire trailed off as Paul glanced her way with that over-confident smile of his.

I caught his eye and winked.

Wiped the smile right of his face.

I laughed quietly and looked at Claire in feigned astonishment, "How old are you again?"

"Ha ha, funny," Damn the girl even had sarcasm down at eight. "It's _Paul_, I highly doubt anyone's going to care if he's missing a few limbs."

I wasn't kidding when I said she was really twenty-four. What kind of little kid talks like this?

"Rachel would," I countered as my eyes found Paul's wife at her seat beside him.

"She won't care _that_ much." Claire just shrugged it off.

I raised my eyebrow in disbelief.

"You mean to tell me that if I were to walk up to Quil and chop both his arms off with a chainsaw…you wouldn't care?"

"That's different." She said it tonelessly, but I could have sworn I saw her eyes darken as I talked about maiming her body guard.

"How so?" I was way too curious by this point.

"Simple," she met my question with a blank stare, "Quil is not Paul." She blinked as she moved her gaze to the trees.

"_Right…_

"Seth wants to talk to you," Claire's sudden statement knocked me of my awe.

I looked up to see Seth at the edge of the woods. He met my eyes instantly and nodded his head towards the trees.

"Is there a reason he's being all covert-ops about this?"I questioned my counterpart, not taking my eyes off the werewolf in question.

Claire sighed. "He has to tell you something and he doesn't want the Pack overhearing, which is stupid 'cause they'll hear it eventually…" She trailed off with a shake of her head and I took time to notice that we were alone at the fire. Everyone else had vanished.

"Besides," she continued, "Jake ordered him to tell you, so it's not like he can get out of it."

I sighed at that bit of knowledge. I had been told Jake was standing Alpha of both his small pack and the La Push pack. Sam had chosen to stand down due to Emily's pregnancy, and had asked Jake to take over until the baby was born. I had also been told about the absurdity of Alpha commands.

Seth's expression turned to a glare at Claire's last statement and I broke contact to see her smiling devilishly at him in return.

Groaning at her expression, I lifted myself to my feet.

"Any idea what this is about?" I grabbed Claire's attention one more time.

"Imprinting." She stated and I heard a growl from Seth's direction.

I heard a crunch from behind me and looked to see Quil waiting to take my spot, an unfamiliar scowl on his face.

"Do I want to know what that is?" I feigned innocence, but my mind was already going a million miles an hour.

"Doesn't matter," she went back to staring at the flames, "you'll find out anyway."

I let out a breath of air and trudged forward.

"Hold down the fort," I called back to Claire.

"Way ahead of you," she whispered.

* * *

I met Seth at the edge of the trees and crossed my arms in a stance similar to the one of our first encounter.

"_Yes_?" I questioned, drawing out the word mysteriously with a quirk of my eyebrow.

Seth rolled his eyes. "Come on," he said and turned his back in assumption that I would follow.

For once I did. It wasn't like me to turn down answers, and this was the closest I had gotten to solving part of Caleb's tangent from Port Angeles. I pondered as I walked behind Seth's silhouette in the darkness.

_Imprinting._

That's what Claire had said, and by Seth's reaction, it was something important. By the basic sense of the word it's marking or influencing something to a certain effect. But… that really didn't make any sense. I growled under my breath. Imprinting… werewolves… Alpha commands…me… what the hell? And for some reason my mind kept replaying Caleb's taunts over and over.

My mental Sherlock Holmes was quite literally knocked away as Seth abruptly stopped, which sent me into an uninhibited full-body-slam into his back.

"_Ow_," I muttered as I attempted to rub my face back into the proper order. The remodeling was interrupted as Seth suddenly turned around and captured my gaze with such an anxious expression that my brain instantly set up its red flags.

"I have to tell you something," he said, a serious look overtaking the anxiousness in a second.

"We've established that," I began slowly, drawing out the words. "Back there…at the bonfire…

"Alex, I'm being serious here," he nearly growled.

"Obviously," I stated coolly and watched in amusement as Seth really growled this time and started to pace.

"_Damnit Jake_," I heard him whisper through his low growling and caught a glimpse at the slight tremors going through his body.

I decided to help the guy out.

"OK," I started calmly and sat down on a very conveniently placed rock, "Imprinting."

The last word stopped his pacing and actually got him to look at me.

"What is it?" I asked while I had his attention. "I mean obviously that's what _this_—I pointed between the two of us—is about. So let's start there."

"It's not that simple Alex," Seth took a deep breath and shifted his eyes up to the moonlit canopy of the trees.

"Well it would be a hell of a lot simpler if you just told me already instead of avoiding it," a muttered to the rock.

"You'll freak out." He said it so seriously that I couldn't help but bark a laugh.

"Right… 'Cause I am the poster child for freak-outs when it comes to supernatural beings. In case you haven't noticed Fido, the worst you're going to get from me is a random tangent full of yelling at inanimate objects." His eyes flickered back to mine for a moment and I saw a flash of amusement. "Which, by the way, I do not count as freaking out. _So spill_."

I waited for him to speak. After ten minutes of silence, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

"OK Fluffy, I'll walk you through it," I sighed and contemplated my theories before letting them out. "From the basic definition of the word _imprint_, I'm assuming whatever Imprinting is it has something to do with placing a mark or having an effect on an object."

I stopped to see Seth's reaction and found him in the same state as before, so I continued.

"But in this case I'm thinking it's more along the lines of a person," it came out as more of a question but I knew that I was on the right track as Seth's gaze snapped to mine. I stared right back. "So adding the dynamics of lycanthropy to this Imprinting theory thing or whatever, I'm going to go with that it's a demented version of mating. And considering the fact that every single one of you seems to be matched in a sick little game of _perfection_… well…

I trailed off to silence, my mind flashing to Sam and Emily, Paul and Rachel, Quil and Claire…_Cam and Brady_. Seth had stopped breathing and his expression told me everything I needed to know. I was shocked out of my thoughts with the fact that I was _right_. No more musings, no more stupid hypotheses. What Caleb said was true.

_Mated at seventeen…_

I stopped breathing right along with Seth.

Then it was my turn to pace.

"But it doesn't make _sense_!" I yelled to the trees as I remembered my tangent from weeks ago. "It does not make _logical sense_ for you and me to be… _mated_." I struggled to get the last word out and was surprised to find Seth blushing.

"Start talking." I demanded and sank back onto the rock. "_Please_," I whispered, "start talking."

I heard a gust of breath release before Seth's voice filled the silence.

"What you said is pretty much the basics of it," he began almost fearfully. "The simplest term is _soulmates_." He met my skeptical expression and trudged on. "After we change for the first time, there's a chance for _this_… for Imprinting. We meet the other person for the first time and it's like the universe is tilted on its axis and ripped away from your feet. You're left floating for a minute, with nothing holding you together but that person, but her…but _you_."

The fire in his eyes locked me in place. I couldn't move.

"Everything that you were once attached to: your home, your family, your friends. Nothing matters but her. She is the reason you exist, the reason the universe untangles, the reason you stay on your feet."

As Seth became more and more confident with each word, I became sicker and sicker. This wasn't right. It couldn't be right. Fate wasn't that cruel. But I could tell by the way his eyes bored into mine that it was. That he had every belief that this _Imprinting_ was true. That it was just.

"That night in the woods," I barely whispered, eyes still locked. "In the tree…

"Where it felt like the whole world was turning and you couldn't look away?" Seth questioned knowingly.

"Yes," I muttered to myself. "I couldn't look away. I was drawn to you."

"The time with the vampire, the struggle with Alice, the time in the truck, weeks ago at the bonfire," Seth listed them off knowingly. "With exception of the truck, they're all examples of Imprinting. I can feel it, somewhere inside of me when you're in trouble, or hell even if you're just having a bad day."

"And the time in the truck?" I questioned back.

"The only reason I didn't phase right there, didn't rip you to shreds," he winced and his eyes squeezed shut. "You were the only reason I didn't lose control, the only one who could have stopped me."

I stood and started toward Seth.

"I got the easier end of the deal," I said as I stopped in front of him. "If it were simply mating, the part about being drawn to each other and the sensing of danger would make sense, but the rest of it…

The look on his face told me that was the last thing he was expecting me to say. I continued besides it.

"You don't find anything wrong with this? With Imprinting?" I couldn't mask the newfound hatred in my tone.

Seth's face fell to confusion at my change of demeanor.

"No." He stated it with certainty and my heart fell. "We're meant to be. Imprinting's just a push in the right direction."

"Seth!" I said it louder than I meant, but it seemed to snap him out of his conviction for a second. "You cannot honestly say that under _normal_ circumstances you would instantly fall madly in love with a girl you met inside a tree?"

"These are hardly normal circumstances Alex," he smirked but I found nothing amusing.

"_Stop it_," I growled and grabbed his face with my hands making him look at me. "You are being _forced_ into this Seth, it's not right!"

He tried to pull out of my grasp, but my some spark of insanity I held on.

"What you're telling me, what you're _saying_," my eyes searched his, "is that the day you met me, everything dropped. Your friends didn't matter anymore, your family didn't matter anymore… hell your existence didn't matter anymore! _Only me_. That's what you're saying?"

"Alex—

I cut him off. "_Yes_ or _No_ Seth?"

He met my eyes again finally. "Yes."

My stomach dropped at his words and I couldn't stop myself from retaliation. Everything I had worked to overcome. Every ounce of trust I had in Seth shattered in that instant. And I found myself trying anything to hold onto him, to snap him out of this delusion.

"That doesn't seem wrong to you?" I let him go and shoved back from him. "It doesn't seem utterly _absurd _that _one_ person can erase the life you had?"

"My life wasn't erased!" He snapped. "You came into it and made it better! Made it worth living! Gave me a reason for existence!"

"And you didn't have one before?" I shouted back, and barely managed to calm myself in order to continue, "Do you realize how demented you sound right now?" I tried to keep my voice calm and level. I had to try to get him to see through this painted veil that Imprinting had created.

"I'm perfectly sane Alex," he growled again and I took another step back. "I still care for my sister, my mother. I'm still loyal to Jake and the Pack. I'm still friends with the Cullens. I haven't lost all reason. My priorities have changed, that's all. I'm still the same person I was before I met you."

He had calmed down enough through his confession that I risked one last inquiry.

"I don't know if I can believe that," I whispered and to my horror I could feel tears start to prickle my eyelids. I turned my back to Seth in a futile attempt to hide them. I cared far too much for this boy, and this was the price to be paid.

"_Why?_" The whisper at my ear held all my attention as I found myself inches from Seth again.

"Let's look at this logically," I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes, turning to face him.

His irked expression told me logic had nothing to do with it in his mind.

"Humor me?" I asked hesitantly.

A nod in return was all I got.

"I'm going to use examples to see if you can at least admit there's something insane going on here." I squared my shoulders and pushed on. "Quil and Claire," I began. "I'm assuming they're _imprints_… I guess is what you call it?"

"Yes," Seth confirmed. "Quil imprinted on Claire when she was two."

My expression clearly insisted on the insanity of that little fact.

Seth just rolled his eyes, "At least you're being typical with that reaction. Yes, a lot of people find it weird and even disturbing. But Imprinting works in different ways. It's not always the love option, or the _mating_ as you put it. The wolf can be a lover, a friend, a brother… he's anything she needs him to be. Quil is Claire's brother and protector and he will be until she decides otherwise."

"So it _is _a fucked up version of mating," my mind was still reeling from before.

Seth growled low, "Were you not listening Alex? Quil is her _brother_. _Nothing more_."

"And you're not going to tell me that the instant she's old enough to be the lover option he's not going to take it? Please Seth, it's not that hard to see."

"Why do you find soulmates so hard to believe? Quil would never hurt her!" Seth had settled to exasperation.

"You're missing my point Seth," I tried to calm down. "Do I find the Quil/Claire situation a little creepy? _Yes_. But I have no doubt in my mind that he will do whatever is best by her."

Seth let out a breath, happy to have gotten somewhere. I hated to burst his bubble.

"That is _not_, however, my main concern," I made sure I had his attention. "I'm worried about _Quil_, not Claire."

Seth ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "Now I'm the one confused."

"From what you explained, you're telling me that Quil is pretty much not going to have a life that doesn't involve Claire," I held up a hand at Seth's protest, "Let me finish. My concern is that if Claire were to pick the brother/friend option down the road as opposed to the lover option… well, Quil would never be happy."

"No," Seth countered, "Alex—

"_Think _about it Seth. Claire ends up with someone else, but still has Quil there with her forever. And if Claire is the center of his universe… how is Quil ever going to have a real life? One with a family, and kids, and a home? After all, Claire would have a life, a life that involved Quil as nothing more than a friend. You can't tell me that he's just going to follow Claire around like a lost puppy for the rest of his existence. That Imprinting is going to take away any chance he had to live _his_ life, not hers."

For the first time tonight, Seth was silent.

"You can't prove it… can you?" I looked into his eyes and I knew. "You've never had someone who got stuck with the other option. Everyone has been lucky enough to get the lover option. Even if they are all brainwashed… at least as lovers they can be happy. A demented, crazy excuse for happy, but a happy all the same."

It was a long time before either of us spoke, but eventually Seth seemed to process. I let him take my hands in his warm ones and met his saddened gaze with my own.

"What are you saying Alex?" I barely heard it, but when I did it broke my heart.

"Do you love me Seth?" I don't know what made me take that avenue first, but I had to know. It was the only way I could start to patch this together.

"Yes." He didn't hesitate, didn't even question it. And that was perhaps what hurt the most.

"You don't Seth," I looked up to him and fought to keep the tears in check.

He went to protest and I struck a hand over his mouth.

"You've known me for two and a half weeks. You don't fall in love with someone that quickly. And from what you've told me, you fell in love the instant you saw me, which hurts more than you will ever know," I sucked in a breath before I broke down. "Whether you believe it or not, you're being forced into this, and it's the last thing I would ever want of you.

"I care for you far more than I should, and for that reason you deserve a _choice_," I removed my hand from his mouth and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm breaking this Imprint Seth. I don't know how, but I know I can."

I turned away from him, tears leaking down my cheeks despite my efforts.

Seth caught my arm, "_Don't_…

He sounded so broken, so empty that I let him hang on.

"I'm not leaving Seth," I looked down at the leaves as I spoke. I looked anywhere but his eyes. "I'm not going to do that to you. I'll stay here, as long as you want me, I'll stay. I'm willing to try the real way. If you'll ever forgive me enough. The way where we go slowly. No imprints, no fate, just us. We go slow and we try. And if it leads to love, so be it. But I can't believe in Imprinting. And I'm begging you not to force me like it forced you."

My arm pulled from his grasp far easier than it should have and I walked into the trees. I took one last look at my werewolf before I sprinted away, tears flying from my face.

My strangled sobs were met by a broken howl. My only company in the darkness.

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**A/N:**

**PAGE 360 OF **_**BREAKING DAWN**_**.**

**Read it if you dare wish to experience it again and welcome to the inspiration for this little doozy of a chapter.**

**It's absurd. Plain and simple.**

**Oh, and I will try to update whenever I can. But it's been brutal, so all I can do is try. Give the button some love!—even if you don't like me at the moment ;)**

**Thanks for reading-HV**


	16. Chapter 16

***** I HAVE BEATEN YOU STUPID FF ERROR TYPE 2! MUAHAHAHA LET THE UPDATES BEGIN! rest of the A/N at the bottom guys :)*****

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* ****.**

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_Please don't think I'm crazy  
I don't want you to understand  
My mind is growing hazy  
To hell with your helping hand  
Why don't you just leave me alone  
This conflict is my own  
Keep your sources away from me  
That's all_

_-I Want To Be Alone—_Green Day

_**Alex POV**_

Somewhere between the cliffs and Canada, I managed to slow down enough to be disgusted with myself. I forced my legs to stop moving and sank down against a nearby tree. Well this was fantastic. In the last three weeks of my life I had somehow managed to slowly turn my mangled past into something worth living for. And hell for one single span of time in the last year I was able to feel somewhat normal again. But instead of embracing it, I was running away from it like some sappy movie heroine who can't function enough to realize anything but that her poor pathetic heart was broken.

Was my heart even broken?

Fractured and severely confused is more like it. I had had my heart broken in more ways than one. I knew what it felt like. And this was not it. Yet here I was moping around because some guy just happened to confess his love for me and lo and behold I didn't believe him. The icing on the cake was that I was technically the one who did the breaking.

_That's not fair_. I told myself. _There was a reason for it after all_.

Ah yes, the whole Imprinting debacle. I slammed my head against the tree trunk. For some reason, fate just seems to never let me win. On one hand, I have my evil best friend who just happens to want me dead. On the other, I have the protective werewolf who just happens to be desperately in love with me.

Neither seemed to be in my best interest.

Why oh why could it not be _normal_? OK, so not really normal, but as close to normal as werewolves and vampires get. I had gotten past the relationship shock. Despite how much I wanted to resist it, I couldn't warp the truth enough to make myself believe that I never had feelings for Seth. From the moment I met the overgrown fuzz-ball, I knew I was in trouble. Then the Imprinting bomb was dropped and all hell broke loose. I wondered if this was common amongst the throws of Imprinting. I'm sure there was an allotted freak-out session for each Imprint, but for some reason this seemed worse.

I took a couple deep breaths to clear my thoughts. Let's think rationally for a minute here. There was a reason for my overdramatic exit.

**Fact:** I thought Imprinting fell just short of brainwashing.

Brainwashing may be a little harsh, but there is no way someone falls that deeply in love in two seconds. Sorry just not possible.

**Fact: **I did not love Seth.

As much as that one hurt, I knew it was true. I cared deeply for him yes, but love was a word that I was not ready to give up yet.

**Fact:** Seth loved me.

I let out an inner scoff at that one. Seth _thought_ he loved me. And while some cosmic power told him I was his soulmate, I still couldn't believe it. It was too deep, too much, and too soon. I believed in a lot of things, but that simply wasn't one of them.

**Fact: **I wanted to break the Imprint.

That one I wasn't budging on. Did I want a relationship with Seth? Yes. Did I want him forced into it? No. And no one would convince me otherwise.

I sighed. How the hell was I going to do this? It was obvious from Pack life that no one had done it before, or even thought of it for that matter, which left me in an even deeper hole than I had originally dug for myself. No matter how hard I tried, I kept getting myself into shitty situations.

_Damn it._

I started banging my head against the tree again. Silently cursing the sky, the stars, and hell I even cursed the Quileute legends themselves. Fate seemed especially fond of them after all.

"That is an incredibly odd habit of yours," a velvet voice spoke from behind me and I swear I jumped fifteen feet in the air. "Banging your head against hard, inanimate objects," the voice continued and I spun around and reluctantly breathed a sigh of relief when I caught a spark of gold instead of red.

"If you weren't already dead," I whispered the threat as Edward sauntered around the tree and came into my line of vision, "I would kill you for that."

That irritating smirk was back for an instant before his eyes swept across my face and I was suddenly very acutely aware of how ridiculous I must look. I hastily wiped the tears from my face and stood up so I was level with him.

"What do you want Edward?" Stupid question I knew, but I couldn't find the energy for social tact at the moment.

"Seth sent me to find you," he answered smoothly.

Not sure I believed that one.

"Seth sent you to find me," I repeated. "He sent a _vampire_ to search Quileute lands… Isn't there a rule or something about that?" In fact I was almost positive that the only thing lacking from the treaty was a big neon sign saying _No Vampires Aloud_ at the La Push border.

Edward chuckled at that one. "I got permission from Jacob, though technically I did not need it. We are well past the Quileute border."

I was amazed at that little fact. There was no way I had run that far. Right?

"And considering most of the Pack has been looking for you for the past two hours," Edward continued despite my shock, "my help was welcomed."

OK, maybe I had run that far. But I wasn't about to give in just yet.

"You honestly expect me to believe that a pack of werewolves has been looking for me for hours? With no success? That seems a little pathetic, don't you think?"

"Considering you have done an excellent job of not wanting to be found, it is not that far-fetched." Edward raised his eyebrows at my disbelieving expression. "But I will concede that it has only been Jacob, Brady, and myself. I may have exaggerated in the description of the search party."

Ha. I allowed myself a small smile at that one. Score one for Alex.

"I do pride myself in my blind ability of evading supernatural creatures," I mocked.

Edward just stared.

"Well, you found me," I continued when he stayed silent, "so now what?"

"Now we go back." Edward said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I mentally balked. I had no desire to go back to a pack of werewolves that most likely hated my guts at the moment. And I did not think I could handle Seth tonight.

"They do not hate you Alex," Edward stated. "In fact I am almost positive that the word is not even in Seth's vocabulary, so you have nothing to worry about."

I still didn't move. I saw Edward's topaz eyes glow a bit in response.

"I do assure you," he continued and his voice took on a playful edge, "that we will be going back. Whether it is willingly or forced on your part is of no consequence to me."

I glared. He smiled. This was going to be a long night.

"Fine," I said, "on one condition."

"Name it."

"We walk," if the statement caught him off guard, he didn't show it. I needed time to think. And there was absolutely no way I was letting Edward carry me back.

He chuckled and I suddenly remembered his ability. _Shit_.

"Agreed," Edward said and started off at a slow pace toward who knows where.

I grudgingly followed.

* * *

We had gone about a mile or two when I could not take the silence anymore. I let out an exasperated sigh. "How much do you know?" I asked Edward, who continued through the underbrush without even a backwards glance.

"Everything," he stated.

_Why was I not surprised?_

"What exactly do you mean by _everything_?" I hedged as I fought to keep up with my vampire companion. This whole following-supernaturals-through-the-woods thing was turning into an increasingly annoying habit of mine.

"As you know the Pack can read each other's thoughts. Seth phased right after your discussion, so naturally the entire Pack heard as they all phased after his howl." I groaned at that knowledge, but Edward continued, "When you crossed the border, Jacob asked for my help and relayed the events to me. And you already know I can read minds." He gazed back at me expectantly.

"Right," I whispered to myself. "Stupid question number two for the night."

When Edward went back to his silence, I decided to test the waters. "So how much of a bitch do you think I am?"

Edward came to a stop then, and I wondered if my choice of profanity was a bit much for his style of conversation. He turned to me and I tried to meet his gaze.

"Come on," I hedged as he stared. "Scale of one to ten."

"I do not think _bitch_ is the correct word," Edward responded with a hint of the smirk that made my insides twist uncomfortably.

"Wow," I didn't know what to say to that and honestly I couldn't think of a word worse than _bitch_ at the moment so I conceded to my confusion.

Edward chuckled and my head snapped up at the sound.

"Before I continue," he said, "am I to understand that you actually want my opinion on the events that transpired?"

I laughed at his raised eyebrow then sobered quickly. "Considering I've spent the past couple hours wallowing in misery, I'd say some confiding is in order." Edward was by far not the first person I wanted to share with, but he wasn't the last either. And he was Seth's friend, so it had to count for something.

He seemed to take my thoughts as a _Yes_.

"Through my connection with the Pack, I have seen a lot of this Imprinting over the years," he started and his gaze seemed to glaze over with memory. "Each girl took it differently. Some were perfectly fine with it, others threw a fit, but for the most part things worked out. You," his eyes focused on mine for a moment before continuing, "Were one of the only ones to actually question the science of it so-to-speak."

I raised my eyebrow in disbelief. I could not possibly be the only one who thought the logic of Imprinting was lacking.

"Do not misunderstand Alex, the logic, as you say has been questioned. Rachel went on a tangent for months about soulmates before she caved. But you were the first to bring up lycanthropy, which I admit is more than I was expecting from you." His gaze held a question and I knew I would be talking to Jasper soon about certain dealings in my past. "And what is even more amazing was the fact that you thought it was unfair to the men involved, not unfair to yourself. I admit that was the most intriguing of all."

I fidgeted under his gaze for a moment, "So I brought up some uncommon questions Edward, that's not an excuse for the complications of that conversation."

"You are forgetting that every conversation is going to have its complications Alex. You choose not to believe in Imprinting, and Seth chooses to believe in it. It is natural that someone is going to get hurt. In this particular case, it was both of you who reaped the consequences."

"But did I do the right thing?" I was getting tired of his calm mumbo-jumbo. He was trying to placate me and I wasn't having any of it. The words spilled out before I could stop them. "I just ripped apart the one ounce of trust I had left in someone and I'm starting to wonder if it was all worth it! Should I have just sucked it up and went along with it? Would that have been so bad? Living my life in some wild fairytale. "

Edward remained silent and watched as I began to pace the small width of the trail we had created.

"'Cause I will be honest with you Edward, at the moment I would give anything to just forget this ever happened. That I could go back to trusting Seth. That I could go back to my only worry being Caleb and my apparent demise. My best friend wanting me dead seems a lot easier than my current predicament if you ask me."

I huffed and plopped down in the dirt. I was really getting tired of this.

"It is not a matter of doing the right thing," Edward's voice snapped me out of my hate fest. "You forget that what is done is done. It has already happened and there is no way to erase it. The question you should be asking is what do you do now?"

I mock glared at my vampire magic eight ball. I knew he was being vague and insightful on purpose. _Bastard._

"What would you do, oh Yoda of Imprinting?" I retorted as I picked at the grass beneath me. "The guy I cared for was forced to love me and now I can't seem to talk him out of the absurdity of the situation. And even when I try to compromise by giving the option of an actual, non-cosmic-influenced relationship, he looks at it as a rejection instead."

Edward sighed. "Did I ever tell you the story of Jacob's Imprinting?" He questioned and I tried to hide my blatant curiosity.

"Jacob imprinted?" I was stunned and a little peeved that I hadn't figured that one out.

"Yes," Edward continued, "it was about five years ago and it was by far one of if not the most controversial of the Imprints."

"And why was that?" Despite my better judgment, he had my attention.

"Because Jacob Black imprinted on my newborn daughter," Edward's response was a solid whisper and the silence afterward was deafening.

"And I thought Quil and Claire was weird," I mumbled to myself and then I remembered the rest of Edward's statement. "Wait," I stopped, standing up. "Your newborn daughter?" Confusion rattled around my mind like an excessive game of Pong. _Was that even possible? _And then I remembered back to weeks ago in the Volvo and the stunning teenager in the backseat.

"Holy crap." I took a moment to revel in the fact that I had officially seen it all.

Surprisingly Edward was not offended. If anything he seemed even more amused. "I am glad you are an observant one, or else this would have been a very frustrating conversation." He chuckled to himself and continued. "When Bella and I were married, she was still human. Long story short there were complications and she ended up pregnant. She birthed a child, and before the birth killed her, I changed her into a vampire."

My jaw dropped before I could stop it, though Edward seemed used to the reaction.

"As you can imagine, Bella marrying me, ending up pregnant, and getting changed into a vampire broke about a dozen Pack laws and there was very nearly a war over it." His eyes glazed over in that faraway look again. "Jacob split from Sam's Pack and defended Bella and my family from his former brothers. Seth and Leah joined him. When the baby was born, Sam realized she was no threat and for lack of a better explanation returned the peace, though I realize now that that was more for Imprinting sake than for ours.

In a twist of events Jacob imprinting on Renesmee saved my family. The imprint caused some blatant disbelief amongst the Pack, but they left it alone because it is what they believe. Still the tension has not left the two parties involved. The wolves thought it unnatural for one of their own to imprint on a vampire, even if she is technically half human, it did not make a difference to them. Which brings up your question of forced love."

I eyed Edward warily and had the sudden urge to stop him before he related this insanity to my situation.

"Hold it," I said. "You said this was five years ago. That girl in the Volvo did not look five years old to me."

Edward smiled at my confusion. "She grows at an exponential rate. According to Carlisle, she will stop at the appearance of an eighteen year old."

"That seems absurdly convenient," I mumbled to myself.

"A story for another time Alex," Edward gathered my attention again. "Now back to the relevance of my tale to your current debate. I admit that I believed Jacob was forced into loving Renesmee. I knew for a fact that he was in love with her mother before the Imprint, so for the record yes, I believe there is some undeniable force involved. There is however one fact that erases the matter of not having a choice. I relinquish that this took me years to understand. Naturally being the father hinders me with the dislike of whoever beseeches my daughter in acts of love. Yet I do know that Jacob loves my daughter and though I may find it forced, I also know that they are happy. And seeing my daughter happy is a small price to pay for nosy cosmic powers as you put it."

I eyed Edward for a long time before I spoke the thoughts I am sure he had already heard.

"Nice try Edward, but I don't buy it." I stated and crossed my arms in defense. "Sure Nessie's happy, but what about Jacob? From the way you make it sound, she'll be immortal and he'll join her due to Imprinting. Which brings back my original argument: Jacob is giving up his whole life for one girl. He will be stuck with her for eternity and be forced to watch his family and friends die in front of him. He will be all alone. How is that fair?"

Edward let out a soft growl and I felt myself take a step back despite my nerve. The growl was enough though. I had proved my point.

"No," Edward spoke, catching me off guard. "It does not prove _your_ point. Jacob and Renesmee's fate differs from yours and Seth's. They are happy and have embraced Imprinting for what it is. And while I admit there are some details with Jacob and Renesmee that I do not wish to dwell on, that does not cover the fact that you are trying to avoid the subject Alex."

"But is happiness enough?" I shook my head to assemble my scattered, overfilled thoughts. "One person should give up all they know in life to pursue happiness? That seems depressing Edward, and downright wrong. There is more to life than happiness, trust me I know." I glared at the sky once again.

Edward sighed and continued walking. "Weeks ago you asked for an explanation, tonight you asked for advice. I gave you both," he chanced one last glance at me before abruptly stopping at a creek. I was surprised at how far we had come in our walk.

I stared across the water and found two familiar figures on the opposite edge. Cam leaned against Brady with a knowing look on her face, eyes going straight to mine. Brady eyed Edward with uncertainty, but made no offensive move toward the vampire. I sighed at the realization of where I had to go from here.

"Whether or not you consider our discussion is up to you Alex," Edward whispered as he walked back into the tree-line. "Whatever your decision, talk to him. It is the least you can do, and he will be far more helpful than I, even if you do not believe it."

With that Edward left me and as I skipped over stones and water to meet Cam and Brady, I realized he was right. As cliché as it was, I had to talk to Seth. But as I glanced at the dark brown wolf before me, I saw the touch of hurt in his eyes and I knew it was going to be one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Far more difficult than the conversation hours before. For I knew that Brady's hurt was simply a mirror glimpse of what Seth felt and my heart wrenched. I didn't think I could do this.

Cam seemed to notice my thoughts and grasped my arm before I could bolt. She gently pulled me in the direction of La Push and I mentally steeled myself for the experience ahead. It wasn't just Seth. It was Cam. It was Jacob. It was Leah. I groaned at that last one and prayed I would be alive in the morning. I once again cursed Fate and her ability to make my life miserable.

I was never good at this. And I don't think I ever would be.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Ick, please god tell me if this was too soap opera for you guys...I tried to avoid it.**

**Thanks to a godly FF forum member, I was able to figure out how to beat that stupid error that has been terrorizing the major FF groups-yep, apparently Twilight is such a huge fandom that it took a particularly big hit.**

**I know what you are thinking: WHY IN THE WORLD DID THIS TAKE FOUR MONTHS TO UPDATE?**** Well Engineering is a B.I.T.C.H and I had to give up practically everything in order to survive the quarter. That and my horse decided to fracture a bone. Add it all together and fanfiction suffers. I sincerely apologize. **

**Ch. 16 isn't fantastic, but right now I have to strive for plot details, which will lead up to the good stuff. But alas, I have to fill the plot in with this romantic angst that I am not good at it. But the good news is that FF's little error mishap allowed me to have time to write 2 chapters instead of 1. I am starting to really LOVE Ch.17 lol. But Ch.16 needs some love first, so 17 will have to wait.**

**I am going back to work so hopefully that will give me some free time for writing (crossing fingers). But in the meantime thank you to my wonderful Reviewers who have stuck with me this long! Love ya guys!**

**Thanks for Reading—HV**

**Give my blue brother from another mother some love 3**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Yo (lol sorry just felt like using that one). Thanks for the reviews guys!—so close to 100, I'm flattered.**

*********WARNING****: The following chapter contains some sexually suggestive scenes. It's nothing past the T rating, but I figured I would warn you guys in case some of you are sensitive to that kind of stuff.*****

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* .**

* * *

_I said you got me where you want me again and I can't turn away  
I'm hangin' by a thread and I'm feelin' like a fool  
I'm stuck here in between the shadows of my yesterday  
I wanna get away, I need to get away_

Now you know, yeah you got my back against the wall  
Oh God, I ain't got no other place to hide  
Chained down like a sittin' duck just waitin' for the fall  
You know, yeah you got my back against the wall

_-Back Against the Wall—_Cage the Elephant

_**Alex POV**_

"Rocky Road or Napoleon?" Cam's snapped my concentration away from the movie seconds before two freezing ice-cream cartons were shoved under my nose.

I looked up to see Cam smirking with a spark in her eye that definitely stated that she was debating whether or not to shove the ice-cream up my nasal cavity for kicks. It had been a week after my conversation with Edward, and despite my best efforts, I had still failed to talk to Seth. Apparently my inner coward had been waiting for an opportunity just like this one to run amuck. Cam had demanded that I move in with her, to which I complied. I had been staying with Leah and Seth, but I figured it wasn't the greatest idea at the moment.

I hadn't seen Seth since the bonfire, but the rest of the Pack _seemed_ to be completely at ease with my escapade last week. Jake said it was normal for Imprints to as he put it "freak" and to my complete and utter surprise Leah actually seemed to be content with my mistreatment of her brother. Though in my personal opinion I was pretty sure she was just putting on a convincing show until she could get me alone to beat the crap out of me. Despite the Pack's ease, Cam seemed to shadow my every move. It was borderline Creeper material. Ever since she dragged me back to her house, Cam had been convinced I was on a downward spiral of depression.

"Cam," I tried to maintain my glare as I backpedaled into the couch cushions, desperate to avoid inhaling ice-cream, "for the last time I—am—not—wallowing."

"Alright geeze Miss Cranky," Cam sighed. "What did poor Rocky and Napoleon do to you anyway?" She finished as she clutched the cartons to her chest in what seemed to be a desperate attempt to save them from my wrath.

I sighed as I watched her carry the ice-cream back to the freezer, all the while whispering conspiratorially to the paper cartons.

Even though I loved Cam, there were sometimes where I wondered exactly where she came from. As far as I could see, she lived by herself in a little house near the edge of La Push. I often wondered why she was so alone, but it seemed Cam liked it that way and I was not one to pry into past lives. Besides, Brady was here almost every day, so "alone" was a bit uncalled for. Brady had hoped that my moving in would add some normalcy to her life. Unfortunately for him, it seemed I was adding more crazy than normal.

"Please tell me you are not talking to food." I added knowing it would drive her crazy.

"Alex!" Cam admonished as she slammed the freezer door. "It's not their fault you're socially inept at admitting your own feelings, while the rest of us sit by in our cozy little peanut gallery waiting for you to crack and wither away like a—

"OK!" Lord the tangents. "I get it," I retorted and glare back at the television.

"Do you?" She inquired in her best Sherlock Holmes as she plopped on the cushion next to mine.

I turned to her and noticed she had fixed me with a well-put-together "spill" expression.

Insert sigh number two.

"For the record," I started. "I am not wallowing, or withering, or socially inept as you so expressively put it. I am simply buying my time for the right…," I struggled for the word, "moment." I finished lamely.

"So in other words you are in denial and avoiding a certain werewolf until he comes to you?" Cam asked as she twirled the couch pillow above her head.

"NO!" I shouted before I could stop myself and snatched the pillow from its pirouette mid-flight. "It's just… Gah! It's too much stupid drama! Was it really too much of me to ask for him not to fall blindly in love with me? Now he probably hates me, so maybe I should just go for a walk and jump off the cliffs. If I aim right I should be able to hit enough rocks to—

My rant was abruptly cut off as the pillow was snatched from my hand and whipped across my cheek with such force that I toppled to the floor.

_Ow._

"Admitting your feelings is completely different from having a nervous breakdown," I turned my head to Cam's voice as she peered over the side of the couch. "I really wish you would stop being so predictable."

I rotated my jaw to make sure it still worked then glared back at her from the floor. "And how would you have me act oh Queen of Imprinting Catastrophes?"

"Well for starters, sucking it up and admitting that you are in love with Seth would be good," she fell back against the cushions as I brought myself to my feet.

"I am not in lo—

My denial was cut short by the slam of the front door and I twisted my head to see Brady coming from the front hall.

"Brraaadddyyy…" Cam whined as he came into view. "I was just in the middle of unlocking an emotional breakthrough, and you just ruined it!" She banged her forehead against the couch arm with a dramatic sigh.

Brady winked at me and went to the kitchen. "So how's our patient doing?" he asked as he retrieved the iced tea from the fridge.

I twitched at the word _patient_. I had an inkling that Cam was attempting to use me as the guinea pig to fuel her dream of becoming a psychologist. And before you ask, yes, you heard me correctly.

_Psychologist. _

Run while you can.

"She's still in denial," Cam answered in mock-profession. "Maybe it's time for more drastic measures."

I scoffed in response and went to stand by the window. It was actually a nice day for Washington. Despite the overcast, it was pleasant instead of the usual rainy spring day.

"I still say you should have stuck with Plan A," I heard Brady respond from the kitchen table.

"And what per say, was Plan A?" I asked as Cam roamed from the couch to sit next to Brady.

"Oh it was typical really," Cam started nonchalantly. "Kidnap you and Seth and lock you in some tiny little room with just enough air to last you to morning. You argue, you banter, you have romping makeup sex and love each other again. If not, we don't open the room and you die. Seemed pretty simple to me."

I had stopped breathing about halfway through the explanation and my eyes were currently wedging out of their sockets.

"You approved of this?" I managed to choke out to Brady. I blinked repeatedly to get my mind back to focus.

Brady laughed at my misery. "Actually," he started, "the entire Pack was pretty set on Plan A. Jake pulled rank though and opted to give you more time."

I never thought I would thank God for Jacob Black.

"Why exactly did you imprint on her again?" I asked him when I got my full voice back.

"Don't know. Don't care," Brady gave me that impish grin that I had grown to hate. I knew there was more to it than that.

"Translation: You are no longer subject to plans like Plan A, therefore you don't worry about it?" I hedged.

"Exactly." He said and got up from his chair, "I have to go join the boys on patrol," he continued as he gave Cam a kiss and walked toward the door.

"Any trouble?" Cam asked. The mention of patrol snapped her back to a more serious reality.

"Nothing to worry about," Brady glanced back at us. "Collin said he smelled something on the edge of First Beach this morning. We are going to take a group and check it out."

"Be careful," Cam said as Brady nodded and headed out the door.

I had made my way to the kitchen as the door shut and Cam turned to me with a familiar expression on her face.

"Lunch?"

* * *

Martha's Diner was right in the midst of a little tourist town on the outskirts of La Push. The wolves had made it clear to me that leaving La Push was not allowed unless it was to visit the Cullens. So on days like today when Cam and I wanted to get away, this is as close as we could get. The fact that the little diner was littered with tourists helped to camouflage our visits from a potential vampire threat and the food was good enough that neither Cam nor I were bothered by the crowds.

"Hmmmm…" I heard Cam muse from across from me as we eyed the food in front of us. Today we had opted for Ralph (the head cook) to surprise us. By the looks of things I started to wonder if we would be able to eat our lunch. I couldn't figure out if the object in front of me was edible.

Cam seemed to think otherwise as she stabbed her fork into the concoction in front of her. I watched her as she eyed the piece on her silverware before stuffing it in her mouth. After concluding that it wasn't toxic and that she wasn't choking, I stuffed a piece in my mouth too. To my surprise it was actually pretty good.

"It amazes me what humans will eat these days," Cam and I both jumped at the voice as it came from the edge of our table.

"It's been a long time my friend, perhaps you just need to hone your social skills."

My eyes closed on their own accord at the second voice and I prayed I was imagining Caleb's chuckle at my reaction. I forced my eyes back open as he shifted around me to the seat at my left. I watched as his companion took the inside seat next to Cam, across from Caleb. He was about Caleb's height, 6' 2" perhaps, but with a slightly bulkier build. His red eyes were so dark that they almost looked as black as his shoulder-length hair. My eyes shot to Cam's in a silent pact.

"You didn't happen to bring that flame thrower did you?" I mentioned to Cam as I ignored the two vampires beside us, trying to keep the conversation as normal as possible.

"Unfortunately not," she replied in a cool tone as I watched the new vamp scoot a little closer to her side, a wicked smirk on his face. Cam ground her jaw in response.

"Well hello to you too Alex," Caleb smirked. "I don't believe we've met your friend here. Cam, am I correct?"

I watched Cam's eyes widen a smidgen before she nodded smoothly to Caleb. Though stunned she seemed to catch on quickly to Caleb's way of polite, yet completely threatening charm.

"I would ask what you want Caleb," I stated and turned my attention to the vampire on my left, "though I am honestly getting tired of repeating myself."

"Ah yes well I realized this morning that it had been an awful long time since we had had a proper chat, so I figured we would arrange a little get-together," Caleb said as I glared. "But we settled for crashing yours." Caleb smiled and I turned my attention back to Cam.

The newcomer seemed to be particularly interested in watching her squirm as he leaned over her shoulder to view our lunch course.

"What is that obnoxious thing you are eating?" He asked with a smooth accent. I could almost detect a hint of Spanish as I watched Cam's hand clench around her fork.

"I don't know," To my surprise Cam managed to answer him, "but it is really going to be hard to eat it with your face looming over my shoulder Mr…"

"Antonio," he said and in a flash he grasped her hand and kissed it. "But you may call me Tony," he smirked as Cam's cool façade turned deadly.

"Not likely."

Cam wrenched her hand away as soon as his lips touched her skin and I could see it took everything in her not to hit his marble head with her fist.

"Caleb I suggest you get on with it before my friend kills your companion," I ground out. My jaw loosened slightly as I saw Caleb silently ask Antonio to back off.

"Oh there's not really an _it_ Alex," he chuckled and pretended to pick at my food with the extra silverware. "I just wanted to see how things are going. Though I did hear you broke up with that fur ball of yours, and I must say I find it highly amusing."

I took a deep breath to calm my emotions. It wasn't a surprise to me that Caleb knew what went on between me and Seth. Classic strategy called for me to expect my opponent to know everything. I was not, however, looking forward to his utmost glee over the fact. I reigned in my energy and forced it into conversation.

"You seem to find everything amusing these days Caleb, so tell me, have you set a date for my funeral yet?" My eyes flashed to his in a challenge.

Antonio laughed from his seat. "She is a fiery one Caleb. Perhaps we should set a date—add some intriguing activities as well… No? I have seen some very interesting _activities_ in my day…

I shivered and tuned Antonio out as I subtly tried to find a way out of this. My eyes caught Cam's as she searched the area at my back. We were at our usual table. The one in the back by the kitchen and if I remember correctly, there was a service exit around the bend to my right. The only problem was that the service exit was in the opposite direction of the parking lot and there was no way we could afford to waste time trying to loop around the diner to the car. And even if we made it to the woods at the back of the building, there was no way we could outrun two vampires. Cam stared right at me and I realized that we had to take the woods. Even if we somehow made it to the car, cars were made of metal, and metal could be far more damaging than trees. I had already seen Caleb construct a car accident before, and I'd be damned if it happened again. I moved my right hand to rest lightly around the base of my water and waited.

"Not yet Antonio, we have to let Kat have her fun after all," Caleb smirked as I snapped back into conscious thought. I made a mental note that there was another vamp we would need to worry about. Jasper was going to kill me.

"Kat?" Cam spoke into the conversation for the first time.

"Yes," Antonio soothed as he turned to Cam. "One of our colleagues that I would be happy to introduce you to. I think she would like you. She has some fire as well," he smirked and eyed Cam appreciatively. Her hold on her fork tightened.

"Where is she then?" I challenged Antonio in an attempt to get his eyes off Cam. "Did she decide you two weren't worth her time? If that's so, she's a smart girl." I smiled as Antonio let out a small growl.

"Worth her time?" Caleb laughed in my ear. "My dear Alex, she's a vampire. She has all the time in the world. And as for right now, well Kat's talents are a bit more useful against the _canine_ variety." His emphasis at the end left both Cam and I wide-eyed.

"You knew the wolves were on patrol today," Cam stated it as if it were obvious. And I had to admit, things were starting to fall into place in a way that made my stomach squirm.

"Hmmmm," Antonio hummed at Cam's ear causing her to sit stock straight. "I love it when they're smart Caleb. It makes everything so much more _fun_. I've never been with a wolf-girl before."

"You'll have to get past the smell first," Caleb laughed to Antonio as Cam went pale white. "I told you they wouldn't disappoint," Caleb smiled at Antonio then turned to me. "Now Alex, this little idle chat charade has gone on long enough so let's finally get to that point you were so desperate about earlier.

Four weeks ago I made the promise to leave you and that wolf of yours alone. Let you enjoy life and all its mishaps for a while. I do believe however, that I mentioned something about everyone else being fair game."

At Caleb's last sentence I watched as Antonio slid his arm around Cam and rested his head at her shoulder. I could see Cam shaking, vice-grip still on her silverware. I jumped when Caleb's hand wisped along the back of my neck and came to rest at my jugular. The two vampires were so subtle in their movements that the tourist crowd took no notice to the two couples in the back.

"As you can see, my colleagues are getting a little impatient and I have to say I don't blame them, so I'll give you a choice in this little game of ours. Your friend here," he nodded to Cam, "or your wolf out there," he nodded to the woods beyond the window and my heart skipped a beat.

My mind was reeling. I had no proof that Seth was in any danger at all. I don't even know if Kat is real or not. But could I afford to call his bluff?

"Ah, I see that little mind of yours ticking away," Caleb whispered in my ear. "I assure you that Kat is out there, she loves the game too much to give it up now. And a little broken-hearted wolf pup would be far too easy of a target." Caleb's voice trailed off and I knew he was trying to trick me into being as malicious as he was.

But I wasn't him. I couldn't forget the deaths. And there was no way I was trading someone's life for someone else's. There was no choice here. None at all. And I wouldn't be forced to make one.

My eyes went to Cam's again and I saw her make an infinitesimal nod. I blinked in response and turned to Caleb.

"I choose…" My voice quavered and Caleb leaned in, attention on me, "YOU!"

I flung my right arm up and splashed the cup of water down Caleb's front at the exact moment Cam trusted her fork up into Antonio's eye. Both actions rewarded us with a millisecond of shock and pain from the vampires, and it was all we need to dash for the service exit.

My legs pumped as fast as I could get them as Cam and I ran side by side into the depths of the woods.

"A fork?" I half-shouted to her as we ran. "Are you serious?"

"Little known fact about vampires," Cam huffed as she ran. "Not everything turns to solid rock. The eyes and mouth are still somewhat vulnerable."

As soon as we got a fair distance, Cam came to a sudden halt and I skidded to a stop beside her. As soon as her feet stopped moving, she put her fingers to her mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. She stayed silent for two seconds before whistling again.

"It's a signal," she commented at my raised eyebrow. "Brady and I"—she huffed trying to catch her breath—"we made it up a long time ago. One whistle for a locator—two for an emergency. And don't worry, he'll hear it." She ended with confidence, and I was silently starting to hope that Imprinting had other magics.

"Come on," I said, knowing staying in one spot would be useless.

We took off at a light jog. There was no point in wasting our energy just yet in a full out sprint. The vamps would catch us, we knew this. But if we could get farther into wolf territory, they may think twice before attempting a double homicide. I backed off and let Cam lead the way.

The jog lasted only minutes before I felt the familiar smack of ice-cold skin against my side. I cried out to Cam as the impact sent me spiraling to the ground and left me gasping for breath. I managed to get to my knees before Caleb had me pinned between him and a tree. I caught a glimpse of Cam on her back pinned beneath Antonio on the ground three yards in front of me before Caleb snatched my chin in his hand and forced my head towards his.

"Well girls," he said loud enough so both Cam and I could hear. "I have to say, that was far more exciting than I was expecting." Caleb smirked and inhaled against my neckline. "The fear is the best part you know," he whispered against my skin. "The scent of it is just so… exhilarating."

I bucked against him as I tried to wriggle out of his grasp. The effort only tightened his hold. My eyes darted to Cam.

"Cam!" I called, desperate to see if she was at the very least conscience.

"I'm…fine…" came the muffled reply and I could tell she was trying very hard not to freak out. The more she struggled to get out from underneath Antonio, the harder he pinned her.

"Yes," I heard him reply and saw a flash of something in his eye that made me squirm, "you are." He smiled and pinned Cam with his upper body, his hands started to move slowly down her thighs. She turned her head away, her eyes clamped shut.

"Let her go Caleb," I begged the vampire in front of me. This wasn't a game anymore, and I wasn't about to let Antonio's sick little fantasy unfold. "Please," I whispered, disgusted with myself but willing to do anything at this point to help Cam.

"You see Alex, I don't think I will," my stomach dropped at the victory in his eyes. "I gave you a choice during lunch, and well," he chuckled, "you seemingly refused. Besides," he continued and I saw both him and Antonio turn slightly to the east before reining their attentions back to us. "Why would I give you the option now, when I have both of your weaknesses right where I want them?"

His question caught me off guard for a moment before the challenge returned to his eyes. And I knew what was coming. I felt him before I saw him. Seth was coming and I couldn't help but feel relieved. But as I looked back into Caleb's eyes, I knew this stage of the game wasn't over yet.

"Now be a good girl Alex," Caleb warned as he placed a hand over my mouth, "and stay quiet."

"You my dear," I heard Antonio whisper and my blood ran cold. "Can scream as loud as you want."

I struggled against Caleb as one of Antonio's hands went to Cam's jeans, effectively tearing the waistband in a jagged line down the thigh. The other hand simultaneously went to her arm, and before I could blink, I sickening crack echoed through the trees.

I heard the vampire growl when Cam didn't scream. Her eyes were still clamped shut, and she was shaking from head to toe, but I could tell by the set of her jaw that she was refusing to relinquish to the pain. In a fury, Antonio moved to her other arm. I struggled again, but before I could even thrash a thunderous roar echoed to my right and my vision caught a flash of brown-black before wolf and vampire tumbled to the ground in a frenzy.

Brady had gone for the kill, but Antonio was ready for him and soon both were in an all out war of teeth and claws. Cam stayed where she was. I could tell that she was conscience, but she was way too close to the fight to risk getting safely away. She was forced to stay put and let them move around her.

I tried once again to get away from Caleb, who despite the brawl behind him, hadn't moved an inch. He pressed harder against my face.

"Ssshhhhh…" He soothed. "Wait for it."

My eyes widened as I caught a glimpse of sand behind Caleb's shoulder, and Caleb smirked. I shook my head violently, trying to warn the werewolf. My heart clenched as I heard Seth take off in a leap at Caleb's back, jaws open to slice into the vampire. I knew Caleb was ready for him. With one last smile at me, he released his hold. In a flash he had turned, swinging his fist around, the supernatural speed alone was enough to build a blinding amount of torque and momentum. I watched in horror as Caleb's fist made contact with Seth's chest. The crack was deafening.

It was slow motion as my wolf went hurtling into the adjacent tree.

"NO!" I screamed. From somewhere behind me I heard Caleb laughing, I heard Brady growling, I heard Antonio taunting, but none of it mattered. I sprinted to Seth and fell down at his side, praying that he was at least still breathing. I watched the tan fur slowly rise and fall and I allowed myself some relief. My hand rose to his head and I was startled as his massive form started to right itself. My arms moved to hold him down, but he barred his teeth and growled a warning. He stood tall, despite the alarming dent in his side and moved to a defensive stance in front of me.

"Seth," I whispered. The scene gave me a sickening sense of déjà vu.

"Well would you look at that," Caleb laughed and aligned himself up to Seth's challenge. "The pup still has some fight in him."

Seth snarled in response, his head low and fur on end.

Caleb lent forward in a feral crouch and snapped with his teeth. His eyes glowed in the brightest red I had ever seen them, and a shock shot through me at the final realization of what my best friend had become. Here, staring down my Imprint, ready to kill, he gave me every reason to view him for his true nature. And I took every one.

A howl pierced the air and snapped me out of my reverie—_the Pack_. The vampires snapped their heads in its direction. The sudden distraction gave way to another sound. A screeching metallic grind hit my ears and I flung my head to the right just in time to see Brady tear the head off of Antonio. The wolf growled at the defiled body and turned in a low crouch over Cam. He didn't let down his guard, seemingly focusing on something in the distance.

Caleb started to look less confident.

Out of my peripheral, I caught another flash of white, and I jumped as a screech echoed the air. Caleb dashed toward the sound and collided with the form seconds before it closed in on Brady and Cam. Before I could even fathom what was happening, flames filled the forest around us, engulfing my vision and overwhelming my senses. I was vaguely aware of Seth pouncing on top of me, blocking me from the wave of heat.

Just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped.

I struggled from underneath Seth and caught a glimpse of a blonde-haired vampire gathering up the remains of Antonio, snarling at a mass of fur. Caleb pulled her away, whispering something and in an instant they were gone. I scrambled up from the ground, ignoring a growling Seth and stumbled to where Cam and Brady were. The flames had diminished. Like some unknown power had created and extinguished them all in one. As I fumbled to my friends, a single, choked sound stopped me dead.

"BRADY!"

...

...

* * *

**;) -HV**


	18. Chapter 17 Cam's Share

**A/N: I am well aware that you all probably want to burn me at a stake right now and I sincerely apologize… BIG TIME. It's about summertime and show-season has started—so basically the barn owns my soul. Plus, my two jobs aren't helping.**

**Anyway, this is a little addition to Ch. 17 that I like to call Ch. 17.5. It's a little glimpse through Cam's eyes. It's short and kind of depressing, but it just popped out of my head and I thought Cam deserved the right to share.**

**Not to mention the fact that a little bit of Cam plus an extremely long Ch. 18 (which I posted simultaneously with this) might deter you guys from killing me. **

**PLEASE READ THIS ONE BEFORE YOU MOVE TO CH. 18—it just makes the story flow better. Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha*.**

* * *

_I set fire to the rain  
Watched it pour as I touch your face  
Well, it burned while I cried  
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name  
I set fire to the rain  
And I threw us into the flames  
When we fell, something died  
'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time, oh  
Oh, no  
Let it burn, oh  
Let it burn  
Let it burn_

_-Set Fire to the Rain—_Adele

_**Cam POV**_

Heat.

Immense heat.

It was all I could feel.

The roaring of the fire through my ears. The suffocating lack of air on my tongue. The blinding orange and yellow that engulfed my vision.

And it didn't stop.

A strangled cry from above broke through the thundering flames and my heart lurched to my throat. _Brady_. Imprinting told me to protect him. To get up from the ground and throw myself in front of him, shielding him from the onslaught of fire. But instinct told me to stay put. That I was safer where I was. Almost as if he knew my warring intentions, I felt Brady's weight press me farther down as the flames whipped around us. He was completely on top of me, blocking me from the inferno. His wolf body pressed so tightly to mine that I could barely breathe. But it didn't matter. I wouldn't have been able to breathe anyway. I grabbed a chunk of fur in my hand and held it in a death grip, anchoring myself to him.

Neither of us had seen her coming, the vampire with the flashing blonde hair and furious features. Brady had barely growled a warning when the flames erupted around us. His dark brown body encased mine mere seconds before the flames did.

And now we were stranded in a land of fire. In the very essence of heat itself. Eyes blinded and fumes gorging our lungs. I could feel Brady shaking, and I knew he was trying to hold it in, to not scream, to fight against the agony of heat ripping away his skin. I didn't have to feel the tears to know I was crying. And I vaguely wondered if we would die.

Then silence.

Pure, unadulterated silence that came so hard and fast that my mind could not comprehend what was happening. The roaring was gone. Then Brady fell. And everything came crashing back.

The sudden full weight of him against my lungs had the senses knocked back into me. My eyes blinked rapidly as the orange was replaced by Brady's brown-black fur. My ears were faintly ringing, and I fought against the rising panic as I pushed against the body above me.

"Brady…" I choked on my words, my lungs heaving in dry coughs as I tried vainly to push him off me.

My feeble words were met with more silence. A silence that scared me even more than the first. Brady _always_ answered me. I forced my arms to move again and felt a sickening crunch as the broken bones lurched under the skin of my right arm. The corresponding pain played lightshows with my vision and I clamped my eyes shut to stop it.

_Shit._

This wasn't working. My bruised body couldn't put up much of an effort, and my arm was completely useless. The weight wasn't as big of an issue as it should have been. Brady and I had wrestled enough that I knew how to get out of a pin if I needed to. The maneuvering had to be altered to work with one arm instead of two, but I managed to fitfully drag myself inch by inch along the forest floor towards the break of light along Brady's outline. Panic starting seeping back in the closer I got to the break. I pushed myself despite it. My body screamed at me to stop as the weight above me pressed down further with each wriggle and squirm. But I couldn't stop. Being trapped wasn't what was scaring me. It was the fact that my werewolf hadn't moved yet.

It felt like hours before I was able to pull myself free from Brady's weight. The still scorching air bit against my uncovered skin and stung my lungs. I took gulping breaths anyway and managed to right myself enough to stumble towards Brady's form.

I grabbed the wolf's face in my hands and felt an ounce of pressure lift as I realized he was breathing. But it was barely, I wasn't going to lie to myself.

"Come on Brady," I croaked as I stroked the fur around his eyes. "_Please_."

He still wasn't answering. Brady was my best friend, the only person in the world I would do anything for. But as the silence rang, I felt as if the price of our friendship was too high to be paid. He couldn't do this to me. He wasn't allowed. He _promised_. As the panic set in, I looked up to scan the forest for Seth, Alex… _somebody_. Instead my eyes landed on Brady's body. My heart stopped. And the shattering truth of why Brady wasn't answering hit me.

I let out a scream I didn't even know I was holding.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Like I said: depressing. But totally worth it in my opinion. Tell me what you guys think. I've been experimenting with POV's lately and I think Cam may be a keeper—not to mention it's practice for the possibility of a Cam/Brady FF.**

**Anyway Ch. 18 is just a button away—and give the little blue guy some love on your way there.**

**-HV**


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N at the bottom of this insanely long thing.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha*.**

* * *

_Dark clouds roll their way over town_  
_Heartache and pain came a-pouring down_  
_Like hail, sleet and rain yeah they're handing it out_

_We're caught up in the crossfire_  
_Of heaven and hell_  
_And we're searchin' for shelter_

_Lay your body down…_

_Tell the devil that he can go back from where he came_  
_His fiery arrows drew their bead in vain_  
_And when the hardest part is over we'll be here_  
_And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fear_  
_The boundaries of our fear_

_Lay your body down_  
_Lay your body down_  
_Lay your body down…_

_Next to mine._

_-Crossfire—_Brandon Flowers_  
_

_**Alex POV**_

I was expecting mayhem as we were escorted into the Cullen household. Vampires running everywhere, werewolves strategizing in the kitchen, interrogations about to commence… The things that normally happened when my uninvited past came to visit me. Instead there was silence, and it was even more unnerving than the alternative.

After Esmé dropped Cam and I off in the living room, she seemed to conveniently disappear. I didn't blame her really. Cam and I weren't exactly sociable at the moment. Despite the eerie silence of the house, I fought against my instinct to break it. Whether we wanted to admit it or not, the past couple of hours had been traumatic. So I sank back onto the couch next to Cam and waited.

I watched the clock for hours. Eyes locked on the second hand as the time ticked by. I chanced a glance at my companion and winced at her empty stare. Sitting rigid on the couch, she looked haunted. Her mangled arm still hung at her side, pants still ripped in the jagged cut from Antonio, and the darkness of bruising apparent on her hips and arm. But her expression was what scared me the most. The tortured blankness was more than unsettling. She'd been like that ever since Carlisle had taken Brady away. And even though her Imprint was right upstairs, it was almost as if Cam couldn't function without him in front of her. Like she needed _proof_.

My eyes found the ceiling tiles on instinct. Call it a morbid habit of honing in on the chaos I knew lingered upstairs. Jake and Seth were up there somewhere, along with Carlisle and Brady…

_God, Brady._

My eyes closed at the images that assaulted me. None of our four had come out completely unscathed. Cam and Seth were hurt, but Brady… Brady was worse. Far, far worse. If I hadn't seen him change back to human, I would have sworn he was dead. And even then, I wasn't sure. Cam's screams echoed in my head again and my eyes snapped open to stop the mental attack.

Movement from the hallway snapped me out of my recollection and I looked to see Jasper leaning against the wall. My eyes met his and I tensed, expecting an interrogation. A new threat had presented itself—herself—and I was sure he wanted to know all about it. As much as I knew he _needed_ to know about the new vampire, I couldn't bring myself to move. I didn't want to relive the events. Not yet.

But for the first time since I'd met him, Jasper seemed to agree. His golden eyes held a murky sympathy as opposed to the stony indifference I usually received. He nodded in my direction then sauntered back down the hallway, but not before I felt an odd sense of calm wash over me. My eyelids drooped and I felt Cam sag against my shoulder. _Strange_… I vaguely wondered what else the Cullens were hiding from me as my eyes closed and my back met the soft cushion once more.

* * *

_**Seth POV**_

Brady was unrecognizable.

And for one agonizing second, I thought our healing abilities may not be enough to save him. If it hadn't been for Cam, I don't think we could have even gotten him to phase back to human. Getting him to Carlisle alone was nearly impossible. We had to move him fast, but every move and jolt seemed to cause more hurt than help. Brady hadn't woken since the fight, and for that I was grateful. The skin on his back, from shoulder to ankle, was practically gone. One look at the burns had my stomach twisting. Unconsciousness seemed a blessing at this point.

By some twisted miracle, Brady's head remained untouched except for one scorch mark on his neck. Carlisle had said that saving Cam had saved Brady as well. He had tucked his head around hers to block the flames, curled himself into a werewolf shield. And because of it, his vital organs had been saved along with his face. A fact that Paul and Embry were likely to mock him about later.

_Later_.

Right now I wasn't quite sure we would make it there.

Brady lay on the table in the same position he was hours ago: stomach down, mutilated back facing up as Carlisle cut and stitched way. An IV attached to his arm, multiple bags of fluids hanging on the racks. A small part of me was surprised that we had needed them, expecting the Quileute healing abilities to kick in and simply _heal_. Carlisle had thought differently. He tried to explain in simple terms that there was too much damaged skin for our lycanthropic abilities to heal properly. That we had to and I quote, "give it something to work with," in order for the healing to take place.

It was right about that point when Carlisle introduced this term of debridement. I was too out of it to even begin to relate the word, but its meaning was a rude awakening as Carlisle cut away layer after layer of dead, burnt skin from Brady's back. It took everything in me not to vomit right there. After that it had fallen into a sickening cycle: cut, wash, stitch, cut, wash, stitch… There were so many skin-graphs. It was starting to look like a werewolf Frankenstein. I swallowed the bile back down my throat and looked away.

I had listened to the doc's original diagnosis. Second, nearly third, degree burns littered Brady's body. Carlisle said that the only reason he could classify them down from third-degree was due to the werewolf healing. Without it, long story short, Brady would be dead. Brady survived, yet it seemed almost an unlucky thing. Carlisle had also said that Brady's nerves were still intact. Another miracle of being a supernatural creature, except for the fact that we both knew it was anything but. Intact nerves meant Brady would be feeling everything when he woke up. _Everything_. I hoped Carlisle had enough morphine.

"Seth," Carlisle's voice snapped me back to reality and the cold, sterile room of the Cullen's house that I was really starting to hate. "I need you to hold this here," he nodded to a particularly bloody patch of skin, "this is the last piece, then we'll wash again."

I held my breath and secured the skin in place. The smell by far was the worst. It was more intense and disgusting than any horror movie could cough up. Most of our Pack had bailed the second we had Brady down on the table. I had almost laughed at the irony of the "kind, soft-hearted" one being the one to stay. The only one who could actually stomach the sight of his best friend barely alive. Or at least try to stomach it that is.

"Almost," Carlisle whispered and I held back a gag as I felt Brady's skin move beneath my fingers.

One last stitch and it was done. I let go as quickly as I was able and sighed as my back met the cold wall. I forced myself not to look at my blood-covered hands. My eyes went to the window instead, the darkness of twilight setting in.

"That should do it initially," I heard Carlisle's voice through the water from the sink. I didn't need to see to know he was washing his hands.

"We'll have to wait for the healing to start, and then the stitches should be able to come out relatively quickly. I have to do one last wash though, just to make sure the bacteria have been eliminated," Carlisle finished as he walked over to mix more of the washing solution.

"OK," I nodded to the doc as I too washed my hands, careful not the look down at the red water.

"You can go Seth," I almost jumped as Carlisle's voice suddenly came from right behind me. I would never get used to him doing that. "This last part is relatively simple. The bleeding is under control and the stitching is done," I heard him sigh as I shut the water off. "I sincerely apologize that you had to witness this. With everyone helping with the tracking, I was short on hands," I turned to meet Carlisle's sympathetic smile of remorse. I stole one last glance at Brady.

"He's my friend," I answered truthfully. "He'd do the same for me."

"Indeed," the doctor said as he turned back to the table. "Why don't you go downstairs? Perhaps you could get a few minutes of rest."

The mention of downstairs switched my focus to the other person that needed me. Or at least the person I would like to think needed me. But thoughts of Alex soon wavered to thoughts of Cam, and I stopped short on my way to the door.

"Carlisle?" I questioned and saw him look up from his work. "Can I bring Cam in?" I couldn't shake the feeling that Cam needed to be here. I shuttered as I remembered the broken look on her face when we left her downstairs. No matter how mangled or bloodied Brady was, Cam needed to see him. Somehow I knew it would help them both.

Carlisle seemed hesitant at first, but as he met my gaze I knew he could sense the importance of the fact. He nodded silently in agreement, then his eyes widened in realization.

"She was hurt as well, was she not?" He questioned and my gut sunk as I realized he was right. Cam was hurt, and we had all failed to notice. We were caught up in Brady to even think about his injured Imprint. Brady was going to kill me.

"Yes," I heard myself whisper as I wrenched open the door and made my way downstairs.

* * *

_**Alex POV**_

Warm hands brought me back to consciousness and I opened my eyes to find two familiar hazels staring back at me. Seth looked exhausted and I couldn't squelch the feeling that I had done that to him.

"Hey," I whispered as my body recognized Cam's weight on its right side. I didn't want to wake her.

"Carlisle's done with Brady for the moment," Seth whispered back, eyes shifting to Cam as he spoke. "I asked if Cam could see him, and the doc's OK with it. He wants to patch her up too," he finished as his eyes returned to mine.

I nodded and nudged my body upright. I tried to make my movements subtle, but even the slight righting of my posture had Cam bolting up on the couch with wide eyes.

"Easy," Seth soothed quietly and I noticed he stayed back as he did so. I decided to follow his lead, giving Cam enough time to collect herself.

"Cam," my tone matched Seth's as I grabbed her attention, "Carlisle said we could see Brady now." My gut clenched as she winced at his name. "He wants to look at you arm too."

Seth and I watched as Cam looked down at her right side, as if just noticing the damage. I stood up slowly and walked over to Seth. Eventually Cam mimicked my actions and our group of three made its way up the stairs.

When we reached the door, Seth moved behind me to give Cam the lead. My friend took a deep, shuddering breath before pushing the door open and striding inside. The past hesitation and fear wiped from her system in anticipation of seeing Brady.

There were no horrified gasps, wary sentiments, or cries. Not that I was expecting them. This was Cam we were talking about. It was almost a relief to see the old Cam come through in a stubborn act of strength as she pulled up a chair and sat next to Brady's body. I couldn't see her expression from my place at the door, but from her body position I could tell she was relieved to at the very least see Brady breathing.

It was that thought that brought my attention to the injured werewolf, and I felt my blood turn to ice. It wasn't the sight of Brady, blood had never bothered me and I had seen enough violence to be immune to excessive injuries. The smell however, I was unprepared for. One inhale had my mind reeling back to places I did not want to go. Memories I had fought so hard to stop from resurfacing. But the familiar scent of burnt flesh brought me back to Ohio so fast that I felt myself backing into the wall before I could stop it.

"Alex?" I heard Seth question as I forced myself to breathe through my mouth. I looked up to find him staring at me with worry.

"I'm _fine_," I ground out, infuriated with myself for letting it affect me that much. I focused on Seth instead and felt my mind return to the thoughts I was supposed to be thinking; thoughts of matters at hand.

Seth looked like he wanted to argue and I saw him start to reach for me. I inched away slightly, but stopped when his movement brought something else to my attention.

"Seth," I let out a muted gasp as my eyes landed on his left side.

The black and blue coloring had stayed, despite the hours we'd spent here. I could see the bones hadn't healed quite right, or maybe they couldn't. His rib cage still looked like an obnoxious version of an inverted fish bowl. He looked down at it with a failed attempt at surprise.

"Oh."

"Yes, 'Oh'," I sighed. I was the one who did the self-neglect, not Seth. I glanced back at the table and saw Carlisle securing Cam's arm in a sling. Her arm was already in a neatly done cast. It paid to have a vampire doctor. Cam hadn't even moved from her position with Brady. It was almost as if Carlisle had idly zoomed around Cam, bandaging here and there while Cam stayed still. _Impressive_.

My eyes turned back to Seth as I waited a few minutes to make sure the vampire was done.

"Carlisle," I called it lightly, but I obviously didn't need too, the vamp was right there. I nodded in Seth's direction and one look at him had Carlisle's eyes widening. It seemed to be a common occurrence for the good doctor tonight. I was surprised he hadn't seen it earlier, but then again I suppose he had much more critical patients.

"Could you…?" I hinted, but I didn't need to. Carlisle had already pulled up an extra table and was gathering equipment. I could sense Seth stiffen next to me and I grabbed his arm. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, the Imprint was on to something. I had this strange inkling that all he wanted to do was bolt out of this room. After five hours of watching Brady literally being put back together again, I didn't blame him.

"My apologies Seth," Carlisle began as he rummaged around his bag, "I did not see with Br—

"Don't worry about it," Seth cut him off with a hint of a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I forgot about it myself." He tugged me over to the table and hopped onto it. I stayed down, I had this thing about hospitals and I was not going to touch anything in this creepy-replica room if I could help it.

"What happened?" Carlisle inquired as he started to gently nudge around Seth's ribcage with his hands. The werewolf in question winced at each touch, but was ignoring it despite himself.

"Caleb right-hooked him in the ribs," I answered before Seth could. "Seth was mid-leap, so there was no way he could avoid it. He got hit full-force," I finished quietly. _I couldn't warn you in time_. My eyes found the floor at that last thought. Can't say I didn't feel a little guilty about it. And I'd be flat out lying if I said that this entire evening wasn't my fault.

"_Stop it_."

I jumped at Seth's breath at my ear and mentally cursed myself for acting like a typical guilt-trip ridden, mopey soap-opera nitwit. I made the mistake of meeting his eyes and flinched at the intensity in them. My eyes flashed in response, this time cursing Imprinting and its stupid ability to hone in on soap-operaish tendencies.

"I'll have to re-break it Seth," Carlisle's voice snapped us out of our silent battle.

_Re-break_. That didn't sound pretty. In fact, I _knew_ it wasn't pretty. But Seth just hopped down off the table.

"Where do you want me?" He asked it in a tone so typical for him that I couldn't help but catch the look in his eye that said he was far from typical, far from OK. As his eyes iced over and dimmed, I realized that he knew the procedure. And he was trying to prepare for it. I tightened my hold on his arm.

"What—

"We will need to do it somewhere else I'm afraid," Carlisle's statement cut me off without meaning to. His was of far more importance. "I do not want to wake Brady, and the noise may startle Camila."

I eyed my friends from the corner of my eye and realized he was right. Brady may be dead to the world—I mentally slapped myself at my word choice—but Cam was wide awake. I didn't want her to see anything that might upset her, despite her cool demeanor. An agitated Cam meant an agitated Brady. And we couldn't afford that right now. But something Carlisle said caught my attention.

"What _noise_?" I asked, eyes darting from Seth to Carlisle and back. Seth seemed to find my question funny, a smirk crawling its way onto his face. Carlisle remained solemn.

"Re-breaking can be quite painful," he began, "and if Seth were to…" Carlisle faded off and eyed Seth in an apologetic manner.

"I'll go get Jake," Seth headed toward the stairs, but I balked again at the mention of re-breaking. I felt my heels dig into the tiled floor, stopping Seth's pursuit of the door.

"_Re-breaking_?" Seth had acted like it was no big deal, but I knew better. "Doesn't that involve surgery? Incisions? Metal plates? The whole freaking enchilada?" I was starting to slightly panic, and though I'd never admit it, actually worry about a certain werewolf to my right.

"Alex, calm—

"Do not finish that sentence Seth," I nearly growled. I was at my limit of watching friends suffer today. "He's talking about breaking you into pieces!"

"On the contrary, it will only be a few pieces," Carlisle's calm voice interrupted our argument and I caught a glimpse of what could only be described as a good-natured smirk as his golden eyes met mine.

"Seth's lycanthropic healing allows us to skip a few steps in the process. While it will not be painless, it will not require the usual surgical procedure. In fact," Carlisle turned his attention to Seth, "your body has already started the healing, albeit poorly, but the gene should have kicked in by now. I should be able to simply break the bones through technique alone. No incisions or plates required."

Not cutting Seth open earned the doctor a few brownie points. I eyed him for any sign of a lie.

"See?" I felt a tug on my waist as Seth's arm looped around me and pulled my reluctant body toward the hallway. "I'll be fine."

It was at that point that I realized _fine_ was the most overused and underrated word of the century.

* * *

"What _exactly_ am I supposed to be doing here?" The question blurted from my mouth before I could stop it. And if it weren't for the happenings about to commence, the situation would be laughable.

Seth was sprawled on his right side on the guest bed. The same guest bed, I might add, that I had occupied during my stay at the Cullen manor. Jacob sat near the foot of the bed, arms braced out in preparation to restrain Seth's legs. And to my astonishment, Alice sat at the headboard holding Seth in an eerily similar version of the headlock that I had once been ill-fated enough to experience. I, on the other hand, stood near the door with what I'm sure had to be somewhere between shocked and terrified written on my face as Carlisle handed me a syringe big enough to down a horse. Let me rephrase that: as Carlisle _tried _to hand me a syringe big enough to down a horse. I currently wanted nothing to do with the thing, but I was out of options as I felt my back hit the wall.

I heard Seth sigh. "Alex," he started, "can you at least _try_ not to be difficult?"

_Try not to be difficult_. Right, like that was in my bag of tricks.

"Seth I am not sticking you with a needle," I said it with more force than I thought I possessed in that moment.

"You kind of have to," I heard Jake chuckle from the bedside. "Carlisle could use the extra hand. Not to mention the last time we tried to sedate Seth, he threw a fit and some of us too for that matter."

"So we figured we could blackmail him into behaving this time," Alice chimed in with a smile on her face that seemed to be reserved for this specific occasion.

Seth groaned.

"The theory is," Jacob continued despite the interruptions. "You're his Imprint, so I highly doubt he's going to throw you into the wall."

"And even if he does," Alice sang, "it will at least be enough of a distraction for Carlisle to sedate him instead."

_Right_. I thought and couldn't stop my eyes from rolling. _If all else fails, the sound of my body slamming into the wall and crumbling into tiny little pieces will definitely calm him down enough to sedate him._

I sighed. At least they weren't deluded enough to refrain from a Plan B… though their motives were seriously leaning toward _deranged_.

Carlisle hadn't moved throughout our little tidbit and was still gazing at me expectantly. I sighed again.

"Compromise?" I questioned feebly as every attention turned to me. "I'll hold and you guys hit him with the insane excuse for a hypodermic needle."

Jake eyed me for a minute then nodded. "That should work," he began, "switch with Alice."

Alice moved and grabbed the syringe from Carlisle. I crept onto the bed behind Seth and wrapped my arms around him as best I could without aggravating his side. The tension left him almost immediately and I rested my head at the crook of his shoulder.

There was a chuckle from the end of the bed.

"If I didn't know any better Seth," Jake's voice rumbled from behind me. "I'd say she actually cared."

I swear Seth and I both growled at the same time, earning us another chuckle from Jake.

No sooner had the noise stopped did I feel a presence at my back as Alice leaned over me. The bed sunk as Jake put pressure on Seth's legs. Seth stiffened slightly in reaction to the movement and I held on a little tighter for good measure. But as the needle came in contact with his arm, Seth's flinch seemed insignificant compared to Jake's prior description. I wondered idly if their story from earlier wasn't complete and utter BS. Amidst my seconds of wondering, the sedative took control and Seth's body sagged into the mattress and his breathing evened out. I heard Jacob give a sigh of relief and he eased the pressure on Seth's legs.

"Well that was a hell of a lot easier than last time," he remarked at Seth's prone body. "I thought for sure we were going to have to man-handle him int—

Jacob cut off and eyed my appreciatively. "We're going to have to bring you more often," he finished with a smirk.

My eyes were starting to roll on their own accord.

"As fascinating as the past two minutes were," Carlisle's voice echoed from above me, "we only have a fifteen minute window before his blood starts eating away at the sedative."

I started to untangle myself from Seth, but Carlisle stopped me.

"Stay there just in case he wakes up," he warned. I lowered myself back onto the bed, already dreading where this was going.

"Couldn't you have doped him up a bit doc?" Jake questioned, warily glancing at Seth. "It worked pretty well with me."

"Given Seth's aversion to the sedative, I felt it unwise," Carlisle stated calmly. "I wanted to keep him under for as little time as possible. Now Jacob, if you could please apply the pressure back to his legs. This is going to be painful and I do not know if the sedative will hold at all, let alone fifteen minutes."

I watched Jake nod grimly from the corner of my eye and snapped my gaze back to Carlisle.

"How bad…"Carlisle's eyebrows rose at my statement as his hands searched along Seth's ribcage. "Will it hurt? I mean."

"It seems to look worse than it actually is," Carlisle replied as he continued his work. "I believe the sternum is, to put it in simple terminology, caved in. If I can dislodge it, the rest of his ribcage should follow back into its normal placement. His bones have already started to heal; they just need some guidance back into the proper position.

It will not be nearly as bad as your injury Jacob," Carlisle's head inclined slightly toward the werewolf Alpha, "but the initial break to fix the sternum placement will be the worst. And I fear he will feel it even through the medication."

I watched as Carlisle's hands stopped roaming along Seth's torso. One hand rested at the center of Seth's ribcage. The other rested at the curve of his left side, where the ribs should have banded out had the wound not been there. I moved backwards on the bed to give the vampire more room, but did not release my hold.

"Count of three then doc?" Jake questioned as the bed creaked under the pressure he was exerting on Seth's lower half.

Carlisle nodded and I forced my breathing to remain steady. For once I thought of Imprinting and willed myself to follow that stupid instinct. If I stayed calm, Seth would stay calm. Easy as that. _Right?_

_One._ My thoughts mimicked Jake's voice.

_Two._ My arms tightened around Seth's shoulders and I buried my face into his neck.

_Three…_

The resounding SNAP that echoed through the room after was drowned only by the sound of Seth's scream. He instantly tensed underneath me and I felt the bed lurch and he bucked under Jake's pressure.

I vaguely heard Carlisle call for Alice as I attempted to calm Seth down.

"Easy," I whispered into his ear as I kept my body as close to his as possible. I couldn't loosen my hold, he was still thrashing too much, but I could at least let him know I was here. I whispered anything and everything I could think of. None of it made sense, but I could feel him start to quiet beneath me, my voice seeming to ease some of the tension.

"Keep talking Alex," I heard Jake say from somewhere nearby and I felt my torso move ever so slightly as Carlisle and Alice started to apply the medical tape.

"Almost done," I kept my attention on Seth and took a deep breath, deep enough for him to feel against him. The idea was to get his breathing to match mine. I felt him shudder, but breath by breath he was starting to listen to me.

Almost simultaneously as Seth's breathing matched mine, Carlisle whispered, "Done."

I felt Jake release pressure almost immediately and I lessened my hold slightly, but didn't dare let go.

Seth breathed a sigh of relief, which soon turned into a moan.

"_Ow_," he hissed through his teeth.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't help but laugh. Jake's chuckle soon joined mine.

"Not…funny," Seth wheezed.

I raised my upper body up on my arms so I could loom over his head. "It kind of was," I responded and caught a glimpse of a smile start to form on his lips. "You could totally give a bucking bronco a run for its money," I pondered in mock-seriousness. "Have you ever considered a rodeo career?"

"Why is it I only see you happy when you're basking in my misery?" Seth deadpanned.

"Someone has to do it," I retorted, but I was happy for the banter. It masked how scared I really was. And I think Seth knew that.

Carlisle chose that moment to chime in.

"Rest for the remainder of the night Seth," his soft voice began and I looked to see him standing in the doorway, Alice and Jake looming behind him. "It should not take the bones that long to reconnect, but I don't want to tempt them into remission."

"So in other words," Alice chimed, "don't move until morning," she finished as she danced down the hallway.

I shook my head. She was way too happy about things.

Carlisle sighed. "Unfortunately, she is correct. Try to move as little as necessary for at least the next four hours. If you have any problems, just call."

"Thanks Carlisle," Seth murmured sincerely.

Carlisle nodded and left, leaving us with an amused Alpha.

"Have fun you two," Jake winked obscenely and I threw a pillow at the door as he slammed it shut.

"_Idiot_," I whispered and climbed over Seth carefully so I could face him this time. I felt him tense as my weight lifted from the bed and sent him a questioning glance as soon as I settled in front of him.

"I thought you were leaving," he answered the unspoken question.

"Right," I scoffed, "you saved my ass and I'm going to repay you by leaving you alone to your misery. I know I'm not the most trustworthy when it comes to bolting, but geeze Seth… _Really_?" I finished with half-hearted exasperation.

He quirked his brow and said nothing.

_Figures_.

"Contrary to popular belief I actually like you," I hedged and let myself sink into the pillows.

"Well that's good to hear considering the last time we spoke to each other you looked at Imprinting like a curse from Satan," Seth responded.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean? I don't think you are a curse from Satan!" This time I really was exasperated. Werewolves and their stupid issues.

Seth smiled and I suddenly realized what he was doing.

"So you like me and I'm not a curse from Satan. I'd say that's one hell of an improvement from brainwashed-lovestruck-against-his-will werewolf," his smirk grew wider with each word.

"I'm going to ignore your medication-induced babble right now," I retorted and buried my face into the pillow. I did not want to have this conversation right now. Emotions were raw tonight, especially after the attack this afternoon, and I'd be damned if I let Seth Clearwater manipulate me into an Imprinting debate.

I felt a hand in my hair and peeked an eye out to look at him. The smile was gone and the serious look on his face had me bracing for a lecture and consequently turning my back to him.

"Alex _please_," Seth sighed and I felt him attempt to shift toward me. "Behave for two minutes, after that you can go on ignoring me all you like."

Two minutes of seriousness for a night of ignorance. I suppose I could be reasonable. I turned back to face Seth with an expression that clearly said _get it over with_.

"People got hurt today," he started.

"Wow, this sedative really makes you bipolar and Captain Obvious," I really couldn't help myself.

The glare I got in return shut me up.

"Our _friends_ got hurt today," Seth continued. "All because of some vampire from your past that refuses to give up some sick obsession with killing you," he finished that sentence with a growl and I shuddered despite myself. "It's not safe anymore Alex, I—

"It wasn't safe in the first place," I countered. _Where the hell was he going with this?_

"Exactly," he agreed, "which is why I need you to understand that you're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

The absurdity of that last part had me reeling to spark my inner protest, but Seth surged on before I could say a word.

"I know you don't believe in Imprinting. You believe it's some stupid twist of fate that wipes away all traces of free-will. That it's turned me into some messed-up love zombie—

"Seth that's not—

"But we're _not breaking it_," his tone suddenly turned almost deadly and I didn't dare interrupt anymore. "I'm not giving that asshole another chance at hurting you because I'm not there to protect you. I know you can 'take care of yourself' and that you'll probably slap me when this is over, but I—Don't—Care," he enunciated each word.

"I will be with you, whether you want me to or not. We're sticking together until this Caleb thing is done. I will personally tie you to my hip if I have to, but I'm not risking it. The Imprint stays at least for right now," he added when he saw my expression. "We don't even have to call it Imprinting if it upsets you that much, but you're not going to win on this Alex," he continued with a glare that I never thought Seth could pull off.

"I promise you, _you won't win_," Seth finished with a superior look that must have been a reaction to my dumbfounded expression.

I was starting to wonder if Carlisle mixed the sedative with something far more dangerous. This Seth was giving _me_ a run for my money.

Part of me wanted to say screw-it. I could totally take on the werewolf if I had to. It was only a small part though, my natural instinct to be a stubborn bitch. Surprisingly, the majority of my mind was agreeing with Seth. Sure I was a bit flabbergasted, but most of that came from the fact that Seth just delivered nothing short of a fuck-you speech.

Bottom line: Seth was right. Not necessarily about the Imprinting—I wasn't giving in on that one yet—but about sticking together. It was the number one rule really: Buddy System. It was pretty much the vital aspect of any horror movie and applied to reality more times than not. Seth and I were stronger together. Caleb wanted me and no matter how much I didn't want Seth to get hurt, I knew there was a greater chance of him getting hurt if we were constantly at odds with each other. Now that there was more than one vampire threat, the need for a partner was even more apparent. The Pack didn't need me running around as a loose end. Besides, the whole divide and conquer technique was a moot point if we stayed together.

I looked up to see Seth still staring at me. His once hard eyes were now starting to veer back towards vulnerability, enhanced with the slight fear of my reaction I'm sure. I met his gaze straight on.

"OK," I said quietly.

For a moment nothing happened, then Seth's mouth dropped open and his eyes bugged out of his head. It kind of reminded me of an extremely tan goldfish.

"Seriously?" He said it in a tone so similar to a five year old that I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Aw Seth," I started, "you were doing so well with the serious face." I laughed again as he forced his face back to normal at my mocking.

"You're—

He cut off in a struggle for words and then finally seemed to find them.

"You're OK with this? 'Cause I thought for sure you would dig your heels in again, or at the very least hit me." He said it is such disbelief that I was almost hurt. Almost.

"It's strategically the best option," I answered carefully. "It would be stupid to be apart, and besides, Caleb thinks we're separated, so maybe it will give us a certain edge. Besides, it's not like you're the worst company." I gave a small smile at the last part.

Seth was still staring at me, but it was more searching than checking if I were mentally ill. My decision wasn't that far out in left field. I wasn't opposed to Seth. I was opposed to Imprinting. And God help me the day that Seth and Imprinting were defined as the same thing.

After a few more seconds, my personal fur ball seemed to give in and sank against his pillows. I chanced a glance at the clock and shocked to see that it was almost midnight. It was funny how quickly evil vampire attacks could make the time pass. My eyes fell back onto Seth and noticed his sad attempt to keep his eyes open.

"You need anything Mr. Fishbowl before I turn out the lights?" I asked as I leaned over the nightstand.

If Seth was confused by the nickname, he didn't show it. "No," he mumbled as I turned off the light.

I lay there a few minutes before I scooted as close to Seth as I dared. Within seconds his arm snaked up my hip and rested there, almost to assure himself I was indeed still here with him. My head rested contently on the pillow and then I thought of something. I propped my head up on my elbow and stared in Seth's direction.

"Love zombie huh?" That was one for the books.

"Shut up Alex," Seth sighed dramatically as he pulled me back down onto the pillow.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Awwww… Look, they're actually kinda sorta starting to get along ;)**

**So I would quite simply like to say that I LOVE YOU GUYS! Over 100 Reviews HOLY CRAP! **

**I know my updating schedule is incredibly unreliable, but I am really trying to fix that and I just can't thank you guys enough for sticking with my insane schedule.**

**Thanks to everyone and a special shout-out to Tala U.S.A for being the 100****th**** review! And don't think I forgot you ****TheDarkSecretsOfFablehaven for the 101th review ;) –since you mentioned it lol.**

**Oh and a shout-out to one of my more faithful reviewers: dawnmac—who is always there with the constructive criticism and is never afraid to tell an opinion!**

…

**Ok, sorry I was in a shout-out kind of mood. But that aside, what did you guys think? Gave you a lot to ponder in the past 3 chapters and I would love to hear the opinions—especially regarding my escapades with the POV's.**

**As always, thanks for reading-HV**


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